Mustangs' clutch pitching, defense
frustrates Vakhalla in Lions finale

By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (3-28-13) — The Valhalla Norsemen had plenty of chances to bushwhack pitching-rich San Dieguito in Thursday’s (Mar. 28) Premier Division championship game of the 63rd Annual Lions Tournament held at Grossmont College.

The Norsemen (8-5) loaded the bases in the 2nd and 3rd innings, but came away with only one run thanks to the complete pitching of Dominic Anguiano, which gave San Dieguito the 2-1 championship victory.

Probably the most frustrating frame was the 2nd when Valhalla loaded the bases as JEFF HOUGHTBY was hit by a pitch, ISREAL JUAREZ singled and CONNOR HOPKINS walked.

But that’s where the rally stalled. Despite a line drive by DOMENIC DONATO that looked like it would score two runs, yet was flagged by the Mustangs’ Nate Glass.

The Norsemen wilted some after that catch.

Trailing 2-0 Valhalla came right back in the 3rd inning to load the bases with two outs as RAMSEY ROMANO and Houghtby walked and Juarez was hit by a pitch. Hopkins hit a line drive to right field that scored Romano but the San Dieguito defense was up for the challenge as Houghtby was nailed at the plate on a perfect peg from the right-fielder to catcher Joe Stefanki, who did an excellent job of blocking the plate.

“They had more energy than we did,” said Valhalla coach MIKE WILSON. “They’re a very disciplined club. They make all the right plays at the right time, and we missed our chances.”

Valhalla pitchers MATT MELANESE and Romano limited the Mustangs (13-1) to 3 hits. Of course, San Dieguito is the prototype pitching and defense team.

“We know if we can score four runs we have an excellent chance of winning,” said San Dieguito coach Jack McDowell. “I can’t say enough about the pitching of Anguiano. We weren’t sure what we were going to be able to get because he hasn’t been able to pitch before this week.”

Anguiano made his debut on the hill and posted two victories, including a 3-hitter against Valhalla, which landed him the Most Valuable Player award in the Premier Division.

VALHALLA 11, GROSSMONT 2 – Valhalla knocked off Grossmont in Thursday’s (Mar. 28) Lions Tournament Premier Division semifinal, but the game was over almost before it started as the Norsemen scored 10 times in the 1st inning.

The unsung hero for the Norsemen was CONNOR HOPKINS, who limited the Hillers to 3 hits and no earned runs in five innings. He was also 2-for-3 with 3 RBI at the plate.

CHRIS HUDGINS also had a 2-run double for the Norsemen.

Nobody in the Grossmont lineup had more than one hit.

This will be the first of five meetings between these two teams, which are both affiliated with the Grossmont Hills League.

HORIZON 18, CHRISTIAN 2 – In tournaments such as the Lions, pitching becomes a shortcoming. That’s true across the board and nobody knows that better than Christian’s MIKE MITCHELL.

The short-handed Patriots were down to 18-0 before they scored in Thursday’s (Mar. 28) Division 3 championship game against Horizon at Otay Ranch.

“When you play five games in four days with 12 players, you know you’re going to be short-handed when it comes to pitching,” Mitchell said.

What had to hurt was the Patriots had previously beaten Horizon 5-0 on a 2-hitter earlier in the season.

The Patriots won the Division 3 semifinal of the Lions Tournament to qualify for the championship game by defeating Castle Park 9-5 earlier in the day at Otay Ranch.

SIERRA CANYON 7, FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 4 – The Knights of Foothills Christian reached the semifinals of the Division 1 Lions Tournament for the first time in school history, but ran out of pitching against Sierra Canyon on Thursday (Mar. 28) at Hickman Field.

So the Knights (7-3) tried to battle back with their bats as TREVOR TINNEY had a triple and 2 RBI. Although RYAN QUINN had 2 singles, as did MARK PROFETA, the Knights never recovered from a 7-2 deficit.

HELIX 14, KENNEDY 11 – Helix scored its season high in knocking off Lions Tournament Classic Division competitor Kennedy in a consolation match-up on Thursday (Mar. 28).

The Highlanders took an 8-1 lead after two innings.

NICO ALCOSER was 4-for-4 with 4 RBI including a 3-run homer to pace the Highlanders to a 5-7 record. Alcoser suffered an injury, but stayed in the game, only going for medical treatment after the game.

“He split his head open but insisted on playing with a gash that took four staples to close after the game,” said Helix coach COLE HOLLAND. “I’m proud of him, these are the kind of kids we want to coach.”

MIGUEL ARMENDARIZ was 2-for-4 with 3 RBI and FRANKIE NUNEZ was 2-for-3 with 2 RBI as the Highlanders were involved in their first slugfest of the season.

STEELE CANYON 11, EASTLAKE 4 – Steele Canyon unleashed a 12-hit attack in a Lions Tournament Classic Division consolation contest on Thursday’s (Mar. 28).

BERNY ARIPEZ provided the spark in the Cougars offense with 3 hits and 3 RBI in four at-bats.

TANNER PERRY also had a big game for the Cougars, as he scored 3 runs and drove in 2 runs as he went 2-for-2.

GRANITE HILLS 11, BISHOP O’DOWD 4 – DANIEL VASQUEZ once again proved he’s the best newcomer in East County as he blasted 2 doubles in four at-bats and drove in 3 runs as the Eagles rallied from a 3-run deficit.

SEAN WALKER allowed only 3 hits and struck out 10 as the Eagles snapped a two-game losing streak Thursday (Mar. 28) in a Lions Tournament Classic Division consolation game.

Red-hot NOAH CUMMINGS was 2-for-5 with a double and 2 RBI as Granite Hills improved to 10-3.

By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (3-28-13) — Four East County teams have advanced to Thursday’s (Mar. 28) divisional semifinals of the 63rd annual Lions Baseball Tournament. The championship games will be played at the same locations as the semifinals for each division.

No doubt the most attractive matchup pits Grossmont Conference rivals Valhalla (7-4) and Grossmont (9-2) in the Premier Division at Grossmont College at 12:30 p.m. The winner of that encounter faces off against the winner of the San Dieguito-Reseda Cleveland semifinal that starts at 9:30 a.m. at Noel Mickelsen Field. The championship game tees off at 3:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, Christian takes on Castle Park in the Division 3 semifinal at Otay Ranch at 12:30 p.m. If the Patriots (8-3) are successful, they play the winner of the Central Union-Horizon game for the division crown at 3:30 p.m.

Foothills Christian (7-2) meets Chatsworth-Sierra Canyon (11-2), dueling the Knights in the Division I semifinals at Hickman Field at 12:30. If Foothills wins it will vie for the division title at 3:30 p.m.

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (3-27-13) — BERNY ARIPEZ was 2-for-4 with 4 RBI to lead Steele Canyon High to an 8-6 victory over visiting Las Vegas-Silverado in Tuesday’s (Mar. 26) Premier Division second round of the 63rd annual Lions Tournament.

CHRIS BARKLEY allowed only two earned runs in four innings and SEAN McCARTHY pitched three innings of hitless relief to earn the victory.

TANNER PERRY collected 3 hits in four at-bats including 2 doubles for the Cougars (5-5).

VALHALLA 4, PALM DESERT 2 – The Norsemen posted their 5th win in six starts behind the pitching of ZACK HYMER (3-0), MATT MELANESE and RAMSEY ROMANO in Tuesday (Mar. 26) Premier Division second round of the 63rd Lions Tournament.

Hymer allowed only 2 hits, no earned runs and struck out 6 in four innings. Romano earned his first save.

GROSSMONT 11, ST. AUGUSTINE 1 – An 8-run 5th inning staked Grossmont to a lopsided victory over previously undefeated St. Augustine in Tuesday’s (Mar. 26) Premier Division second round of the Lions Tournament at Hickman Field.

NOAH BUCHANAN blasted a bases loaded triple in the Foothillers 5th inning.

DEREK RUSTICH also slashed a 2-run double in the blowout frame.

MIRA MESA 6, HELIX 3 – Helix surrendered a 4-run 4th inning that left the Highlanders trailing by 4 runs, and they eventually fell in Tuesday’s (Mar. 26)

Classic Division second round of the Lions Tournament.

PATRICK HENRY 11, EL CAPITAN 6 – El Capitan led 6-5 going into the 7th inning of Tuesday’s (Mar. 20) Division 6 second round game of the 63rd annual Lions Tournament, then gave up 6 runs to Patrick Henry in the 7th.

Sophomore TRAVIS BAKER was a bright spot for the Vaqueros, going 2-for-3, blasted a home run and recorded 4 RBI on the day.

SANTANA 3, GRANADA HILLS 2 (8 inn.) – TYLER BROWNING saved the day for Santana as he slugged a walkoff home run in the bottom of the 8th inning to defeat Granada Hills (10-5-1) in Tuesday’s (Mar. 26) Division 5 second round of the Lions Tournament.

“It couldn’t happen to a better kid,” said Sultans coach TIM BARRY.

For the Sultans, ALAN STRONG pitched a complete game 8 innings while striking out 8 to post his record to 4-0.

“Granada Hills is a school with 4000 enrollment,” Barry noted. “They are a very disciplined team. Harvard Westlake and Chatsworth are in their league. Their left-handed pitcher cruised along for five innings.”

San Francisco-LOWELL 3, MONTE VISTA 1 – The Monarchs scored on singles by KYLE BEDSOLE, a double by REILLY DIAZA to tied the game 1-1 in Tuesday’s (Mar. 26) Division 5 second round of the Lions Tournament.

Monte Vista loaded the bases in the 7th inning but failed to connect.

MOUNT MIGUEL 3, HORIZON (Ore.) 1 – Mount Miguel finally found a victory connection. It started with the complete game pitching of DANIEL RONK, who threw 5 strikeouts in Tuesday’s (Mar. 26) Division 4 second round of the Lions Tournament to seal the victory.

“Daniel Ronk did an excellent job pounding the zone and our defense had his back,” said Matadors coach JASON BABINEAU. “I’m proud of our guys for finishing strong.”

“I’m also proud that the team we beat was a varsity team that gave us a challenge that we were able to meet.

CHRISTIAN 6, EC-SOUTHWEST 5 – BRANDON TARDIFF slashed a 2-run single in the 2nd inning to give Christian a 2-run lead in Tuesday’s (Mar. 26) Division 3 second round of the 63 annual Lions Tournament.

The bottom line came in the 7th inning when A.J. GREGORVIC singled and the defenders made a bad throw, allowing KYLE STOWERS to score.

TEMECULA PREP 7, FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 2 – A 6-run 3rd inning by Temecula Prep decided this Division 1 second round of the Lions Tournament on Tuesday (Mar. 26).

For Foothills Christian nobody had any RBI and nobody had any hits.

By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com
LA MESA (3-26-13) — As the pitching begins to pick up for Helix, so does the Highlanders’ rate of success.

Latest to answer the call to mound duty is junior right-hander JEREMIAH WYLIE. He was nearly perfect as he spun a complete-game 2-hit shutout as the Highlanders popped Palisades, 6-0, in Monday’s (Mar. 25) opening round of the 63rd annual Lions Tournament.

Wylie, who has pitched 12 scoreless innings in his last two outings, permitted only two runners above the minimum in his conquest of the Dolphins.

Even more impressive is Wylie needed only 61 pitches to get the job done.

“In four of the seven innings it took him 10 or less pitches to retire the side,” said Helix coach COLE HOLLAND. “He was ahead in the count against 15 of the 23 hitters he faced.”

RAY PETERSON supplied the key blow with a 3-run homer in the 4th inning to give Helix a 5-0 lead.

JORGE GARCIA drove in a run in the 1st inning on a ground out and doubled home a run in the 6th.

GRANITE HILLS 10, West Hills-CHAMINADE 1 — Senior shortstop NOAH CUMMINGS continued his torrid batting streak in Monday’s (Mar. 25) Classic Division opener of the 63rd annual Lions Baseball Tournament under the lights at Poway High.

Cummings, who has an East County best 15 RBI for the 9-1 Eagles, gave Granite Hills a 1-0 advantage with an RBI single in the 1st inning. He walked and scored on a JAYSON ROSE double in the 5th inning and cracked his third home run of the campaign with JOSH ROSE aboard in the 6th frame.

JUSTIN MITCHELL ripped a two-run single in the 1st inning and TRENTON BROOKS pounded a two-run double with two outs in the 4th inning extending Granite Hills’ lead to 6-0.

Jayson Rose and ROBERT BOSTEDT also contributed a pair of hits apiece for Granite Hills.

Not to be overshadowed by he Eagles’ heavy hitting was the pitching of sophomore southpaw DANIEL VASQUEZ, who blanked Chaminade on three hits over six innings while striking out 7. He has a county best 4-0 record.

Granite Hills entered the contest ranked second in the state by CalHiSports; Chaminade is No. 20,

GROSSMONT 3, Temecula-CHAPARRAL 2 – The Foothillers (7-2) were playing at Joe Gizoni Field in Monday's (Mar. 25) opening game of the Premier Division in the 63rd annual Lions Tournament. However they wouldn't be the home team, as a result of a coin toss used to determine that.

Grossmont's seventh win in the 2013 campaign would be the result of junior catcher HUNTER STRATTON'S 3-run home run, propelling "visiting" Grossmont over the Chaparral Pumas (7-4).

Close games are often decided by the team that makes their opponent pay for a mistake.

After a lead single in the 3rd by NICK DALEY, a routine grounder to 2nd looked like an apparent double play. As the Chaparral fielder went to tag Daley, he lost control of the ball and both runners were safely aboard. Two outs later Stratton gave Grossmont all the offense they would need.

The left-handed hitter loaded up on a 1-0 Chaparral offering to plate 3 runs.

"I got a hanging change-up and put a pretty good swing on it," said Stratton.

Stratton would also lend his defensive skills to Grossmont's cause. In the pivotal 3rd inning he wiped out two Puma runners. With one out and a runner on first, Stratton mowed down a would-be basestealer. Later in the inning and following a run scoring double by Chaparral, he picked the runner off 2nd base when he lazily retreated to second base.

Stratton would make it a hat trick in the 6th when he threw out his third runner of the game.

"I take pride in my catching and throwing," he stated. "Even if I am struggling at the plate, I can still show up defensively."

Chaparral tacked on a home run of its own in the 5th inning, narrowing the score to 3-2. But J.T. BARNES and DANNY ROLF wouldn't allow it to get any closer. Rolf got the save in relief of senior starting pitcher JOE VISKAS.

Viskas went 5 innings to get his 3rd win in as many decisions. He allowed 2 earned runs on 5 hits without walking a batter and striking out three.

Grossmont coach CHAD WILLIAMS was happy with the win but he said, "We didn't play a great game today. We bunted poorly and I wasn't thrilled with our approach at the plate."

Williams knows that his Hillers were a little fortunate to come out on top.

"They (Chaparral) were a very fundamentally sound team,” Williams noted. “Both in the field and at the plate. They made one mistake and we capitalized."

In addition to Stratton's homer, NOAH BUCHANAN added a double. DEREK RUSTICH, BRETT STONE and Daley all singled to account for Grossmont's offense.

— Mark Meadows

VALHALLA 3, EASTLAKE 2 – Valhalla ace SEAN FLANNERY pitched an overpowering 6 innings, allowing only 3 hits and 2 runs in Monday’s (Mar. 25)

Premier Division victory in the Lions Tournament at Eastlake .

JORDAN QSAR pitched a shutout 7th inning to earn his second save.

The host Titans (7-2) took a 2-0 lead before the Norsemen (5-4) rebounded with 3 runs in the 6th frame.

Struggling at the plate for most of the season, Valhalla came to life in the 6th with one out.

CHRIS HUDGINS singled to left and JAMES MARTIN ran for him. SEAN CROSBY singled to center, then JEFF HOUGHTBY singled to center to score Martin, and Crosby came across with the tying run on an error by the catcher to tie the game 2-2. ISREAL JUAREZ slashed a ground ball to the second baseman, who booted it, allowing Houghtby to score.

It was the fourth straight win for Valhalla .

BONITA VISTA 1, STEELE CANYON 0 – The Cougars wasted a solid pitching effort by CASEY BALIKIAN in Monday’s (Mar. 25) opening round of the Premier Division in the 63rd annual Lions Tournament.

Suffering their third loss in a row, Steele Canyon (4-5) could muster only one hit against Bonita Vista pitcher Matthew Ball (3-2), who turned in a complete game with 6 strikeouts.

What made Balikian’s loss even more frustrating was the only run of the game was unearned, thanks to three Steele Canyon errors.

The Cougars only hit was delivered by SERGIO ALCARAZ, which was a single to left field in the 3rd inning. He advanced to second but was stranded there.

WEST HILLS 16, SAN YSIDRO 5 – The Wolf Pack whacked 13 hits, including triples by COLE PENDLETON and PATRICK ESTEY, in rolling over visiting San Ysidro in Monday’s (Mar. 25) Division 6 first round of the Lions Tournament.

Estey drove in 4 runs and ALEX WAGNER hit a double, driving in 3 and scoring 3.

JOHNNY ESPINOZA was 3-for-5 with a double and 2 RBI as the Wolf Pack finished with 13 hits in the lopsided victory.

“Hitting on our team is contagious,” said Espinoza. “No matter who we have in our lineup we know they can deliver.”

And so far they have.

Leadoff hitter CHASE PARSONS was 2-for-4 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored for the Pack, which hoisted its record to 7-2.

HAYDEN SCHILLING was 2-for-4 with 2 RBI for West Hills.

MISSION HILLS 16, EL CAPITAN 4 – El Capitan fell behind 10-0 and never recovered in Monday’s (Mar. 25) Division 6 opener of the Lions Tournament.

The highlight for the Vaqueros was a 3-run home run by ERIC LOZANO in the 5th inning.

JESSIE BURNS also had two hits for El Capitan .

SANTANA 5, CALEXICO 3 – DAULTON BARRY limited visiting Calexico to one run on 4 hits in four innings in the first round of Division 5 play in the Lions Tournament on Monday (Mar. 25).

Not only did Barry earn his first varsity pitching win, he also gave the Sultans (4-5) the early lead on an RBI single in the 2nd inning, which proved to be the game winning RBI.

BRIAN PARKER was 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and 3 RBI for Santana.

OCEANSIDE 6, MONTE VISTA 5 – The Monarchs blew a 5-0 lead in Monday’s (Mar. 25) Division 5 opening round of the Lions Tournament.

Host Oceanside scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 7th deny Monte Vista (1-8) the victory.

After Oceanside handed the Monarchs a run in the 4th inning on three consecutive errors, PAUL O’CONNOR doubled in a run, DEVIN PICKETT singled in a run and ANDREW POIRIER doubled in two to make it 5-0 in the 5th inning.

Oceanside countered with 4 in the 5th and 2 in the 6th to steal a victory from the Monarchs.

MT. CARMEL 6, MOUNT MIGUEL 3 – It seems like no matter what the Mount Miguel Matadors do they always come up short, as evidenced by their 0-11 record following their Division 4 first round loss of the Lions Tournament on Monday (Mar. 25).

After falling behind 6-0 after three innings the Matadors cut the lead in half in the 4th on an RBI single BY DANIEL RONK and a 2-base error by Mt. Carmel (5-4).

CHRISTIAN 13, San Francisco-BALBOA 2 (6 inn.) – STEPHEN JOHNSTON drove in 3 runs for Christian, as did CHRISTIAN MEZA as the Patriots belted San Francisco Balboa in the Division 3 opening round of Monday’s (Mar. 25) Lions Tournament.

A.J. GREGOROVIC was 3-for-4 and scored 2 runs.

Four pitchers shared in the 4-hit effort for Christian, with starter BRYCE JURRIES picking up his 2nd win in three decisions.

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 14, HORIZON (Ore.) 3 – TREVOR TINNEY and EZRA SIMS combined for 4 hits and 8 RBI as the Knights crowned Horizon (Hood River, Ore.) in Monday’s (Mar. 25) Division 1 first round of the Lions Tournament.

RYAN QUINN was 3-for-3 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored, while ERIC CANNON was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (3-25-13) — The 63rd annual San Diego Lions Club baseball tournament opens a four day run on Monday (Mar. 25) at various fields throughout the county.

Eight divisions will feature 120 teams from 10 states.

Twelve of East County ’s 13 teams are participating in the nation’s largest high school tournament.

Top-ranked Granite Hills and Helix will vie in the 16-team Classic Division. The Highlanders will host Palisades at 12:30, while Granite Hills takes on Chaminade in a 6:30 p.m. game at Poway .

Steele Canyon, Grossmont and Valhalla will compete in the Premier Division, while West Hills and El Capitan will contend in Division 6.

The remainder of the East County teams line up as follows:

     Division 5 – Santana and Monte Vista .
     Division 4 – Mount Miguel .
     Division 3 – Christian
     Division 1 – Foothills Christian.

The majority of pool play games will be played at 12:30 and 3:30 through Wednesday (Mar. 27). The championship games will be played on Thursday (Mar. 28) at 3:30 at various locations (see schedule).

By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (3-23-13) — It’s not often that a high school baseball coach makes eight changes in his lineup by the 3rd inning, as Grossmont High’s CHAD WILLIAMS did in Friday’s (Mar. 22) third round of the Bill Dickens Grossmont Conference Tournament against visiting Santana.

Of course, after two innings, the Foothillers led 15-0.

Even more impressive than that was Grossmont received a grand slam home run by TYLER GARDETTO, a 2-run homers by NICO MAIDA and DEREK RUSTICH, and a solo shot by NOAH BUCHANAN.

Four Grossmont pitchers combined to pitch a 5-hitter as the Foothillers hammered out a 15-1 victory over the Sultans.

“We hit 4 home runs today, which is pretty impressive considering we only hit one in our first seven games,” said Williams.

It’s a whole new atmosphere at Grossmont this year, which concluded last season with 20 consecutive losses.

“There’s a different feeling across the board this year,” said senior third baseman DEREK RUSTICH, who was 2-for-3 with his first home run of the season against the Sultans (3-5). “We know we’re a good team and we’re not feeling the same kind of pressure to prove it like we did last year.”

Of all the home runs, probably Gardetto’s grand slam was hit the hardest as it cut through a cross wind in left field.

“It was a fastball on the inner half,” said Gardetto of his longball.

Life is a lot different for Gardetto from last year when he saw limited playing time.

“I mostly got into the game when Rustich was on the mound,” he said. “I did a lot of pinch-hitting too. Of course I like my role better now because I get to be in the lineup every day.”

ZACH SESTEK pitched the first three innings and allowed only one hit and struck out 5 to earn the win.

GRANITE HILLS 9, EL CAPITAN 1 – Top-ranked Granite Hills breezed past visiting El Capitan in Friday’s (Mar. 22) third round of the Bill Dickens Grossmont Conference Tournament.

The Eagles (8-1), who have won eight straight, received overpowering pitching by TRENTON BROOKS (2-0) and SEAN WALKER. The Granite Hills duo allowed only 3 hits and struck out 12 between them.

The Eagles offense was equally as saucy as they pounded out a dozen hits, including home runs by DANIEL VASQUEZ and NOAH CUMMINGS in the lopsided victory over former Granite Hills assistant coach JORDAN ABRUZZO and his Vaqueros.

Vasquez was 4-for-4 in the leadoff spot for the Eagles with 3 RBI. Designated hitter JAYSON ROSE was 2-for-2 with 2 doubles. His first extra base blow drove in NOAH CUMMINGS who led off the 2nd inning with a walk. JORDAN VERDON reached base on an error to put runners at the corners. JUSTIN MITCHELL drove in a run on an infield out, Walker singled in a run and Vasquez capped the 4-run inning with an RBI double.

El Capitan countered with its only run of the game, an RBI single by ERIC LOZANO in the top of the 3rd.

After that the Eagles broke out the long ball. In the bottom of the 4th, ROBERT BOSTEDT singled and scored on Vasquez’ home run to center field. Two outs later Noah Cummings slugged a solo home run – his second in as many games.

Granite Hills closed out the scoring in the bottom of the 5th as BILLY CUMMINGS reached base on an error and scored on a double by Bostedt. Vasquez and Brooks followed with singles to bring Bostedt around.

HELIX 10, MONTE VISTA 2 – The host Helix High Highlanders were looking for their second win in the annual Bill Dickens Grossmont Conference Tournament on Friday (Mar. 22). Standing in their way were the Monte Vista Monarchs.

The Monarchs (1-7) were in the gift giving mood and the Highlanders were much obliged as they beat the Spring Valley nine for the second time this season. Helix (3-5) added seven hits to the four walks, four hit by pitches and three errors committed by Monte Vista to coast to an easy 10-2 victory.

The score was still close after 3 innings with the Scotties leading 3-0. That's when the Monarchs got charitable. Back-to-back Monte Vista errors put two aboard for DaSHAWN KEIRSEY.

Keirsey took the Monarchs right-fielder on a tour of the right-field fence lacing a double that plated SHANE NOBIENSKY (1-for-2, 2 runs scored) and YUSEF BANKS and increasing the Highlanders lead to 5-0.

Monarchs coach MATT ATKINSON knew the free passes and errors would catch up with his team.

"If we make a couple plays early in the game, maybe we have a shot," he said. "When you are playing against good competition, you can't give them extra outs."

Meanwhile sophomore pitcher LEE MUTTER was busy shutting out Monte Vista by limiting them to 4 hits over five innings. Mutter walked two and struck out one while picking up the win.

Helix would double its 5-0 lead in the 5th. With a runner on, junior first baseman JORGE GARCIA came to the plate. With the count square at 1-1, Garcia leaned on a Monarchs fastball. The only question was whether it would be fair or foul.

It was fair – for his second home run of the season.

Garcia's blast raised the score to 7-0. But Helix wasn't finished in the 5th. Four walks and a hit by pitch, sandwiched around a MIGUEL ARMENDARIZ single resulted in three additional runs.

Monte Vista eventually got on the board with a run in the 6th, and in the 7th the two bright spots for the Monarchs combined to score a second run. PAUL O'CONNOR (2-for-4) singled and was chased home on a KYLE BEDSOLE (2-for-4) double to center field.

"We're taking small steps, but we're starting to play Helix baseball," said Helix coach COLE HOLLAND.

"Our game is pitching and defense,” he added. “On offense we try to put pressure on our opponent. We've been better at that over the last two games."

The other notable for Helix was ZACH MUIR who was 2-for-3 with a double, 2 runs and 2 RBI.

The Bill Dickens Grossmont Conference Tournament goes on hiatus next week as the Lions Tournament rolls into San Diego County. The BDGC tournament resumes play on Monday (Apr. 1).

— Mark Meadows

WEST HILLS 10, MOUNT MIGUEL 5 – A seven run 2nd inning by host West Hills propelled the Wolf Pack to its 6th win in eight starts in Friday’s (Mar. 22) Bill Dickens Grossmont Conference Tournament.

In the breakout 2nd inning MATT LIPSCOMB laced a 2-run double. DALLAS SIEGEL singled to put runners at the corners. ALEX WAGNER then doubled in two more runs to make it 4-0.

The Pack scoring parade continued on an RBI triple by HAYDEN SCHILLING and a run-scoring single by FRANK MELLO. D.J. LEWIS’ sacrifice fly closed the scoring in that frame.

“We need to eliminate the early big inning,” said Mount Miguel coach JASON BABINEAU. “We’ve had too many games where we’ve played 6 good innings and still find ourselves chasing the whole game.”

Wagner and Mello had 3 hits apiece to pace the Pack’s 12-hit attack against four Mount Miguel pitchers.

West Hills’ senior ace DAVID HESSLINK blanked the Matadors on 2 hits while striking out 6 over four innings, and left with a 10-0 lead to collect his 3rd win in four decisions.

DOMINIC SAWYER was 2-for-4 with 2 RBI for the Matadors (0-10).

BRAD MORENO and ENRIQUE KELLER also had 2 hits and an RBI apiece for Mount Miguel.

Steele Canyon first baseman Joey Gerardi can't save the errant toss. (Photo by Don DeMars Photography) ADDITIONAL PHOTOIS HERE

Clinging to a 3-2 lead thanks to a 2-run single by CHRIS HUDGENS in the 3rd inning, the visiting Norsemen broke the game open with 6 runs in the 4th frame and continued on to balance their season record at 4-4.

CONNOR HOPKINS ignited the decisive inning with a triple to right field. RAMSEY ROMANO, who is batting .500 for the season, brought him home with a base hit to left. Romano then stole second and JORDAN QSAR walked. SEAN CROSBY singled to center to load the bases. ISREAL JUAREZ then singled to left to bring in Romano.

After Hudgens was intentionally walked to load the bases, FOSTER McNARY doubled to left to bring in 2 runs. TYLER ROY capped the breakout inning with a sacrifice fly.

“We took advantage of a lot of situations but still left a ton of guys on base,” said Valhalla coach MIKE WILSON. “We’re not a big name team, but we’ll show up and play anyone. If we can score 5 runs, and our defense is on, we can beat anybody.”

Steele Canyon (4-4) was missing four starters for various reasons but that opened the door for sophomore AUSTIN ELLERY who was brought up from the junior varsity. In his first varsity game Ellery slugged a double and a triple, driving in 2 runs and scoring one himself.

Valhalla starter MITCH COOMBS allowed only one earned run in five innings as he posted his first win of the season for the Norsemen.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (3-22-13) — For one of the few times this year, Christian High jumped in front, scoring four runs in the 1st inning of Thursday’s (Mar. 21) City Conference finale against visiting San Diego.

Buoyed by the shutout pitching of junior NICK JARVIS, who blanked the Cavers over six frames before the relievers surrendered three runs in the final frame, Christian (5-3) cruised to an 8-3 victory.

“Jarvis gave us what we desperately needed – a long outing,” said Patriots coach MIKE MITCHELL.

Christian took the early lead on a sacrifice fly by A.J. GREGOROVIC and RBI singles by TREVOR HOWELL and BRYCE JURRIES. The Patriots’ fourth run in the opening frame came on a throwing error.

In the 4th inning WILLIAM HAIL led off with a double – the only extra base hit in the game – and scored on a base hit by BRANDON TARDIFF. The Patriots added to their lead on a bases loaded walk to Gregorovic and a single by TYLER LESLIE to make it 7-0.

Hail, Tardiff, Howell and Jurries each had two hits apiece.

“It’s nice to see for a change that we’re able to string a bunch of hits together,” Mitchell noted.

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 16, SD JEWISH 7 – The visiting Knights scored 13 runs in the 2nd inning of Thursday’s (Mar. 21) final round of the Tri-City Christian Eagle Classic.

It was a coach’s dream for Foothills Christian mentor DAVE LEWIS, who saw his team fall behind 3-0 after the first frame.

The Knights nailed 9 hits in a scoring free-for-all.

One of the key blows was a 2-run single by NOAH GULA, who also pitched two shutout innings in relief. EZRA SIMS contributed 3 hits and 2 RBI to Foothills Christian’s 16 hit attack. DANIEL LUCKETT got a base hit in the big inning and was 3-for-5 on the day.

Other major contributors for the Knights included ERIC CANNON, who was 2-for-3 with 2 runs scored and three stolen bases, and TREVOR TINNEY, who was 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI.

RYAN DEYLING pitched 2 innings in relief and did not allow an earned run to pick up his 3rd win in as many decisions.

West Hills' Cole Pendleton (19) with the slide, but he's already out. (Photo by Don DeMars Photography) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (3-21-13) — It was NOAH CUMMINGS’ day in Wednesday’s (Mar. 20) second round of the Bill Dickens Grossmont Conference Tournament.

The Granite Hills High senior shortstop-pitcher was all over the field. He was 4-for-4 with a home run, a double, six RBI and one shut out inning of relief pitching in the top-ranked Eagles 8-2 romp over host Mount Miguel.

The Eagles (7-1) rallied from a 2-1 1st-nning deficit to stretch their winning streak to seven games.

Batting in the clean-up spot is something rare for Cummings, who usually hits in the bottom third of the order.

“I don’t change my approach but I honestly don’t know why I hit better in the top part of the order,” Cummings said.

He slashed an RBI single in the 1st inning, a 2-run single in the 3rd, a 2-run double in the 4th and capped his offensive explosion with a 2-run homer in the 6th.

Granite Hills scored six of its runs with two out and nobody on base.

“That just shows you how we never quit,” Cummings said. “I really like this team because we’re really focused.”

Eagles pitcher DANIEL VASQUEZ, a sophomore right-hander, pitched 6 innings without allowing an earned run and struck out 7 to hike his record to 3-1.

BRAD MORENO was 3-for-4 with a stolen base for the Matadors.

HELIX 4, EL CAPITAN 1 – FRANKIE NUNEZ exhibited pinpoint control as he pitched a complete game 5-hitter against host El Capitan in Wednesday’s (Mar. 20) Bill Dickens Grossmont Conference Tournament action in Lakeside.

Nunez, a senior right-hander, walked none and struck out 5. It took him only 80 pitches to complete the effort.

“All my pitches were there, especially my curveball and changeup,” Nunez said. “I know a lot of pitchers worry when runners get on base, but my focus is always on the batter and getting him out. That’s my job – to make pitches to get people out.”

Helix coach COLE HOLLAND believes this victory will help his Highlanders (2-5) turn the corner on an upswing.

“I know it sounds strange but this is the first game that we’ve ever led (1-0 in the 1st inning),” Holland said. “The best part is we kept the lead, and that’s because Nunez made key pitches when we needed to have them. I’m happy with our effort.”

An opposite field single to left field by NICO ALCOSER gave Helix the 1-0 lead in the 1st inning. He scored RAY PETERSON, who was hit by a pitch and stole second to begin the game.

Helix broke the game open in the 5th inning on a 2-run single by ZACH MUIR and an RBI single to right by JORGE GARCIA.

El Capitan scrambled back in the bottom of the 5th for its only run on singles by NICK BOSJOLIE, MICHAEL LARWA and CONRAD STANTON.

But they missed the boat as JASON MOORMAN flied out with the bases loaded to end the inning.

“You know, we had our chances, but this is a young club and we don’t know how to make our own breaks,” said first-year El Capitan coach JORDAN ABRUZZO.

Helix’s MIGUEL ARMENDARIZ was 3-for-3 with a double and a run scored for the Highlanders.

Monte Vista's Paul O'Connor with an RBI single against Grossmont (Photo by Kim Diaz) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

The Monarchs (1-6) rode the complete game pitching of junior southpaw REILLY DIAZ, who allowed only one earned run as Monte Vista stung the Foothillers (5-2).

“This was a sweet win for us,” said first-year Monarchs coach MATT ATKINSON, who spent the previous three seasons as the freshman coach at Grossmont High. “It was a fun game because I know all the kids from both teams.”

No doubt Grossmont first-year head coach CHAD WILLIAMS, who was Monte Vista’s mentor a year ago, didn’t quite share the excitement of the outcome.

Monte Vista took a 1-0 lead in the 1st inning on an RBI double by Diaz, which followed singles by PAUL O’CONNOR and ANDREW POIRIER.

The Monarchs made it 2-0 in the 2nd inning on a double by AUSTIN CAOLE.

Monte Vista broke the game open with 4 runs in the 4th. DEVIN PICKETT slashed a 2-run single and Poirier and Diaz each drove in a run with a base hit.

“I told my kids that going into a game like this – against their old coach – that intensity was key,” said Atkinson. “We got that intensity and we hope to carry it out for the rest of the season.”

Grossmont was lacking a big hit throughout the game. Five Grossmont errors led to five unearned runs and the Foothillers’ second loss in seven games.

SANTANA 10, STEELE CANYON 8 – Host Santana took a 7-0 lead in the 2nd inning in Wednesday’s (Mar. 20) Bill Dickens Grossmont Conference Tournament game against visiting Steele Canyon in Santee.

“It was unbelievable! We gave them 7 runs after we had two outs in the 5th,” said Sultans coach TIM BARRY. “I was in shock.”

But the Sultans bounced back in the bottom of the 5th with the aid of shoddy defense by Steele Canyon (4-3).

DARREN DIAZ doubled and HOOTIE HUDSON and TYLER BROWNING walked to load the bases for the Sultans. COCO STUTZ hit a ground ball to third base and the Cougars third baseman threw it away, allowing two Sultans to score to break a 7-7 tie.

Santana’s TOMMY LOGAN followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 10-7.

“Instead of just hanging our heads we regrouped and hung a 3-spot in the bottom of the 5th,” said Barry. “That’s the difference with this team – we know how to come back. We never quit.”

BRIAN PARKER was 2-for-3 with 2 RBI for Santana, and Diaz was also 2-for-3 with 2 RBI.

For Santana, ALAN STRONG pitched a complete game and survived 7 unearned runs to hoist his record to 3-0 while striking out 9.

Offense was not the problem for Steele Canyon (4-3), it was the five errors.

The Cougars banged out 9 hits including two apiece by BERNY ARIPEZ and COLE FLINT.

Valhalla senior pitcher Sean Flannery blanked West Hills through six innings. (Photo by Don DeMars Photography) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

VALHALLA 1, WEST HILLS 0 – Norsemen senior southpaw SEAN FLANNERY is probably one of the top pitchers in the San Diego Section in a stealth kind of way.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Flannery scotched visiting West Hills on two hits through six innings and then got one inning of clutch relief from JORDAN QSAR to secure his first victory in two decisions in Wednesday’s (Mar. 20) second round of the Bill Dickens Grossmont Conference Tournament.

As well as he has pitched this season Flannery should have three wins.

In his latest outing Flannery struck out six and walked three.

Valhalla (3-4) spoiled a complete game four-hitter by TRENT TOPLIKAR with an unearned run in the 6th inning.

CHRIS HUDGINS walked. KRIS SMITH pinch ran and advanced 90 feet on a sacrifice bunt by SEAN CROSBY. JEFF HOUGHTBY tapped an infield single to put runners at the corners with one down. A throwing error on Houghtby’s hit allowed Smith to score the only run of the game.

© East County Sports.com
LINDA VISTA (3-20-13) — Except for two lopsided victories against inferior opponents, Christian is batting only .148 (7-for-47 in 5 games) with runners in scoring position so far this season.

Failing to hit in the clutch was never more prevalent than in Tuesday’s (Mar. 19) City Conference 4-3 loss at Francis Parker in 9 innings.

Christian (4-3) did all its scoring in the 1st inning. But the numbers after that were more frustrating than positive. The Patriots had 20 baserunners – 9 hits, 6 walks and 5 hit batters in a losing effort.

Although the Patriots had two runners thrown out at the plate, one caught stealing and also hit into one double play, they found a way to strand 13 baserunners.

“This was the epitome of frustration,” said Patriots coach MIKE MITCHELL.

Francis Parker, along with Monday’s win over Morse and Thursday’s (Mar. 21) foe San Diego, are all in the same division – Division IV. So far the Patriots are 1-1 in the three game set and will host the Cavers at 3:30.

The Patriots jumped in front of the Lancers in the opening frame. KYLE STOWERS led off with a single to center and CHRISTIAN MEZA followed with a base hit to left. Parker intentionally walked A.J. GREGOROVIC with nobody out.

That move backfired when Parker pitcher Will Gaines hit BRANDON TARDIFF to force in a run. One out later TYLER LESLIE drew a walk to force in a run to make it 2-0. BRYCE JURRIES singled to make it 3-0.

That would be all the offense the Patriots would produce.

Tardiff got hit 3 times with a pitch in the game, and has now been plunked 7 times in 7 games.

The Patriots wasted some positive pitching by SAM GERSHOW and JOE ROSS, who combined for a 4-hitter. Ross, who came on in relief, allowed only one run and one hit in 6 2/3 innings yet was tagged with the loss.

By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (3-19-13) — No. 1 ranked Granite Hills stretched its string of scoreless innings to 39 1/3 before the visiting Santana Sultans finally scored with one out in the top of the 6th inning in Monday’s (Mar. 18) Bill Dickens Grossmont Conference Tournament.

But the bottom line is the Eagles prevailed 2-1, running their winning streak to 6 and their record to 6-1.

“To string that many shutout innings basically comes out to 5½ games,” said Granite Hills coach JAMES DAVIS. “That’s pretty impressive.”

The Sultans (2-4) snapped Granite Hills’ scoreless streak in the 6th inning. TYLER BROWNING singled and advanced to third on a pair of stolen bases. With one out TOMMY LOGAN walked to put runners at the corners. NATHAN NUNEZ slapped a sharp grounder to third base. Granite Hills turned one out at second base but could not get Nunez at first as Browning scored.

“It was a bang-bang play at first base,” Davis said. “This is the streak that will probably never be duplicated at Granite Hills. It was all about winning the game rather than extending the streak. Bottom line is, I was probably more stressed in this game than I was in the last three.”

Granite Hills, which was limited to 2 hits on the pitching of RYAN BROWNING and ALAN STRONG, made the most of those opportunities to extend its record to 6-1.

JUSTIN MITCHELL made his first varsity start and limited Santana to one run and 4 hits while striking out 4 in a 5 1/3 stint. SEAN WALKER got the final 5 outs to earn his first save for the Eagles.

“This is the first varsity pitching that Mitchell has done and I think he did a pretty good job,” Davis noted. “I’m pretty sure he’ll get another chance.”

WEST HILLS 10, MONTE VISTA 5 – Shoddy fielding by visiting Monte Vista and pinpoint hitting by the West Hills Wolf Pack led the Pack to an easy first-round victory in Monday’s (Mar. 18) Bill Dickens Grossmont Conference Tournament.

FRANK MELLO was 3-for-3 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI to pace West Hills (5-1).

“It’s all about working hard and making contact,” said Mello. “We don’t take any game off – they’re all important to us.”

The Wolf Pack built a 10-1 lead after five innings behind the pitching of WILL BENNETT.

“I think attitude is the biggest difference in this team,” said Mello, a three-year starter for the Wolf Pack. “I know this team can hit and we have the pitching to go along with it so there’s no telling how far we can go.”

First-year Pack head coach CORDELL HIPOLITO recognizes the growth of his talented unit.

“Take Mello for example,” Hipolito said. “He’s been hitting the ball hard all year but he finally had a breakout game today.”

The Monarchs PAUL O’CONNOR continues to prove himself as one of the best hitters in East County with 3 hits in four at-bats. In his first at-bat he singled, advanced to second on a sacrifice, stole third and scored on a base hit.

In his third at-bat O’Connor doubled off the fence, and in his fourth at-bat he singled in a run.

The problem for O’Connor is he has tendinitis in his pitching arm, which limits his defensive capability.

Bennett, a junior righthander, posted his second win in as many decisions, allowing only 4 hits and one earned run in five innings.

GROSSMONT 7, MOUNT MIGUEL 0 – Host Grossmont made it look easy as JOEY VISKAS, PEYTON LINDSAY and BRANDON WEED combined on a 3-hit shutout with 9 strikeouts in the first round of Monday’s (Mar. 19) Bill Dickens Grossmont Conference Tournament.

The Foothillers (5-1) took command with 3 runs in the 2nd inning and 4 more in the 4th to put the game away.

NICO MAIDA banged out 3 hits in 4 at-bats and drove in 2 runs, including the first run to put the Foothillers in charge.

Hillers’ leadoff man NOAH BUCHANAN was 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.

“It was one of the best games we’ve had all year,” said Grossmont coach CHAD WILLIAMS.

Probably the key serve came in the 6th inning when reliever Lindsay struck out 3 batters after Mount Miguel loaded the bases with nobody out.

“One thing about Mount Miguel is they’re very competitive,” said Williams. “No matter what the score is they always remain positive, and that’s a credit to their coach.”

Six unearned runs left the Matadors trailing 7-0 after four innings.

“Regardless of who we play we’re not going to win ballgames making six errors,” said Matadors coach JASON BABINEAU. “We need to continue to get better... and we will.”

STEELE CANYON 9, EL CAPITAN 8 – This was a surprising encounter, considering El Capitan is a completely rebuilding team facing a Steele Canyon crew with a touch of veteran leadership in Monday’s (Mar. 18) Bill Dickens Grossmont Conference Tournament.

The Vaqueros got a 4-for-4 batting effort from veteran ERIC LOZANO, who also drove in 2 runs and scored twice against struggling Steele Canyon.

But the Cougars (4-2) made the most of 7 hits as they denied the upset bid by the Vaqueros (1-5).

After falling behind Steele Canyon 7-2 in the first two frames due to shoddy fielding, the Vaqueros kept fighting back. CONRAD STANTON and MICHAEL LARWA each had an RBI single while JASON MOORMAN had a sacrifice fly.

With two outs in the 1st inning, Moorman hit a home run to left to score Lozano.

In the 6th inning El Capitan erupted for 3 runs. TRAVIS BAKER hit a solo homer and Lozano hit a 2-run single.

But Steele Canyon reliever CHRIS BARKLEY shut down the Vaqueros’ attack to earn his first save.

CASEY BALIKIAN pitched the first five innings to earn his second win.

CHRISTIAN 2, MORSE 1 – The host Christian Patriots made the most of five singles in knocking off visiting Morse in Monday’s (Mar. 18) City Conference Tournament opener.

Sophomore BRYCE JURRIES scattered seven hits in a complete game effort for the Patriots (4-2). The key is he walked none and struck out 6.

The Patriots scored two runs without benefit of an RBI in the 2nd and 5th innings.

By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com
CHULA VISTA (3-17-13) — Although the various polls don’t say so, the Granite Hills Eagles are the best baseball team in the San Diego Section at the moment.

Case in point is the Eagles pitching staff has logged 34 consecutive scoreless innings, including Saturday’s (Mar. 16) no-hitter when Granite Hills blanked Rancho Bernardo, 1-0, in the championship game of the Hilltop-Lolita’s Tournament at Hilltop High.

There might be some argument whether the Eagles actually had a no-hitter.

Rancho Bernardo’s leadoff man, Alex Jackson, slapped a ground ball to shortstop in the 6th inning. The Eagles’ NOAH CUMMINGS fielded it, dropped it, picked it up and threw too late to first. The play was ruled an error.

A lot of players would have been out on the play but Jackson’s speed raised some question.

“I think it was an error,” said Eagles coach JAMES DAVIS. “If we would have fielded the ball cleanly, he certainly would have been out.”

That was basically a bone of contention between two of the top teams in the San Diego Section. It definitely had no bearing on the outcome of the game.

Granite Hills won the game on a bases-loaded single by SEAN WALKER, who accounted for 2 of the Eagles’ 6 hits.

TRENTON BROOKS and DANIEL VASQUEZ combined on the no-hitter while allowing only 3 base runners and striking out 8.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt that we should be the No. 1 team in the county,” said Brooks, who pitched 4 hitless innings and was 1-for-3 at the plate.

Walker agreed with Brooks’ assessment of the Eagles’ standing.

“I think we’re the best team in the county,” Walker said. “It’s up to somebody else to prove that we’re not.”

SD-HIGH TECH 10, FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 3 – Visiting Foothills Christian was sitting on a 3-1 lead after four innings of Saturday’s (Mar. 16) Tri-City Christian’s Eagle Classic against San Diego-High Tech High.

“And then the wheels came off, we couldn’t do anything right,” said Knights coach DAVE LEWIS.

Five Foothills Christian errors and eight walks helped SD-HTH (5-1) turn 4 hits into a lopsided victory.

“The 6th inning was like a Little League inning,” Lewis added. “We couldn’t make plays, we couldn’t throw strikes…thus you see the results.”

Only half of the Storms runs were earned but that was enough.

The only offensive output for the Knights (4-1) came in the 3rd inning. NOAH GULA walked and RYAN QUINN singled to put runners at the corners. After Quinn stole second, TREVOR TINNEY, who was 2-for-3 in the game, singled in Gula. EZRA SIMS also banged in an RBI single.

The Knights added a third run on a wild pitch and led 3-0 at that point.

By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (3-16-13) — Granite Hills High will battle Rancho Bernardo in Saturday’s (Mar. 16) championship game of the prestigious Hilltop-Lolita’s Tournament at Hilltop at 10:30 a.m.

This will actually be a rematch as the two teams opened the season with the Broncos winning a 6-2 decision.

Coach Sam Blalock’s Rancho Bernardo squad could be the best team in the San Diego CIF. Granite Hills has won four straight since losing to Blalock’s bunch.

While Rancho Bernardo was riddling Rancho Buena Vista 9-2 in Friday’s (Mar. 15) semifinals, coach JAMES DAVIS’ Eagles were burying the Barons of Bonita Vista 16-0.

This is what championship games are all about – the best versus the best.

The Eagles (4-1) pounded out 16 hits in bouncing Bonita Vista (2-5). Nine of those hits were doubles, including 3 by TRENTON BROOKS.

JOSH ROSE had 2 doubles and a triple while going 4-for-4 with 4 RBI for Granite Hills, while NOAH CUMMINGS clubbed 2 doubles, scored 2 and drove in 2.

JAYSON ROSE was 2-for-2 with 3 RBI for the Eagles, who scored 7 runs in the 4th inning to turn the game into a 12-0 blowout at that point.

“Josh Rose was about two feet away from hitting for the cycle,” said Davis.

Not to be overlooked in Granite Hills’ offensive onslaught was the pitching of SEAN WALKER, NATE NGUYEN and ROBBY TENNENT, who combined on a 4-hit shutout. Walker worked the first five innings to pick up the win.

WESTVIEW 15, SANTANA 6 – Its pitching staff exhausted, and its defense porous, host Santana got hammered by visiting Westview in Friday’s (Mar. 15) Bully’s East/Andy Sanchez Memorial Tournament.

The Sultans committed five errors that led to six unearned runs for the Wolverines (4-1).

Six Santana pitchers were laced for 15 hits as the Sultans fell to 2-3.

TYLER BROWNING paced Santana’s offense with a triple and 2 singles to go along with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI in the leadoff spot.

BRIAN PARKER and TOMMY LOGAN each clubbed a pair of doubles and had an RBI apiece.

HOOTIE HUDSON also had a pair of singles and scored a run in the losing effort.

“We are exceeding my expectations with our hitting,” said Santana coach TIM BARRY. “But playing four games in one week has been very taxing because we’re not that deep on the hill.”

DEL NORTE 17, MOUNT MIGUEL 8 – Undefeated Del Norte scored 7 runs in the 1st inning of Friday’s (Mar. 15) Bully’s East/Andy Sanchez Memorial Tournament, and continued on to outslug the visiting Matadors.

“I guess just about everybody is running out of pitching at this point (of the first tournament),” said Matadors coach JASON BABINEAU. “But my boys have never stopped battling.”

The Matadors are 0-7.

“I know they’re frustrated but the losses have come to opponents that have a combined 17-2 record,” the coach added. “We’ve played good competition.”

Despite the struggling pitching, the work of CHRISTIAN GARCIA cannot be overlooked as the Matadors sophomore right-hander allowed the Nighthawks no earned runs and only 2 hits in 2 1/3 innings. As a hitter, Garcia also drove in 2 runs.

BRAD MORENO was 3-for-3 with a double, 2 runs scored and a stolen base to pace the Matadors.

ENRIQUE KELLER was 2-for-4 with 2 RBI for Mount Miguel, which collected 11 hits.

Del Norte was in the running to advance to the championship game. But like Otay Ranch, the Nighthawks are 5-0. The tiebreaker is runs allowed and the Matadors didn’t cooperate, scoring 4 times in the 7th inning.

EASTLAKE 5, MONTE VISTA 2 – Betrayed by faulty defense for the fifth straight game, the host Monarchs succumbed to Eastlake (4-1) in Friday’s (Mar. 15) final round of the Foothiller-Aztec Classic.

Only 2 of the Titans runs were earned as they took a 5-2 lead after two innings.

“We’re battling,” said Monte Vista coach MATT ATKINSON. “We’ve played some real good teams this past two weeks, and we’re improving.”

After falling behind 5-0, REILLY DIAZ led off the Monarchs 2nd inning with a home run.

With two outs in the same frame, AUSTIN CAOLE and TYLER WILLIAMS ripped back-to-back singles. When the Eastlake center fielder let Williams’ glove, Caole scored.

Monte Vista wasted solid pitching by DANIEL VELAZQUEZ, ALAN HERNANDEZ and RICKY DUPREE as the Monarchs fell to 0-5.

By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com
LA MESA (3-15-13) — In a sloppy battle between two winless teams in the Foothiller-Aztec Classic, host Helix High came away with a 9-8 victory on Thursday (Mar. 14).

After falling behind Monte Vista 5-0 in the 1st inning, the Highlanders eventually pulled out the victory on a bases-loaded walk by JORGE GARCIA in the bottom of the 7th. In the 3rd, Garcia belted a 2-run home run and eventually finished the game with 4 RBI.

Helix (1-4) won the game despite committing seven errors.

“We came into the game batting only .150 as a team (15-for-100),” said Highlanders coach COLE HOLLAND. “It was pretty exciting that we got 10 hits in this game.”

The clutch hits of the session were delivered by NICO ALCOSER. His biggest blow came in the 7th inning when he doubled in 2 runs to tie the game 8-8. Earlier in the contest Alcoser doubled and scored in the 3rd inning when Helix tied the game 5-5.

“We’ve been looking for a big hit all season, and Alcoser came up huge in big situations for us – twice,” said Holland. “He smoked those two doubles.”

RAY PETERSON was 2-for-3 with 2 RBI for the Highlanders, while ELIJAH VARELA was 2-for-3.

Monte Vista (0-4) was led by ANDREW POIRIER, who was 3-for-4 with 2 runs scored and an RBI.

DANIEL VELAZQUEZ was 2-for-3 for the Monarchs.

Grossmont pitcher Danny Rolf tossed five shutout innings against Mira Mesa. (Photo by Linda Byerline) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

GROSSMONT 8, MIRA MESA 2 – The Foothillers put this one away with six runs in the 1st inning of Thursday’s (Mar. 14) Foothiller-Aztec Classic encounter.

NICO MAIDA and DEREK RUSTICH had RBI singles in the opening frame. HUNTER STRATTON doubled in a run, as did PEYTON LINDSAY.

A throwing error by the Marauders gave the Foothillers two more runs.

An RBI single by Stratton capped a 2-run rally to put the game away in the 6th inning.

“We got another solid pitching performance and did a good job in the 1st inning,” noted Grossmont coach CHAD WILLIAMS. “We did a great job offensively – our 1 through 5 hitters were a combined 10-for-15 on the day.”

PATRICK HENRY 6, MOUNT MIGUEL 2 – Host Mount Miguel was playing catch-up from the get-go as Henry took a 4-0 lead in the 2nd inning of Thursday’s (Mar. 14) Bully’s East/Andy Sanchez Memorial Tournament contest.

The Matadors never recovered as they suffered their 5th straight loss.

Losing pitcher JACOB CASTILLO generated 2 hits as did JOEL SANDOVAL in the losing effort for the Matadors.

“We had our opportunities,” said Mount Miguel coach JASON BABINEAU. “We grounded into a double play with bases loaded. We just need to get over the hump, and we’re close.”

The Matadors don’t have a whole lot of problem scoring runs, but it’s keeping the other team off the scoreboard that’s the challenge.

HILLTOP 2, VALHALLA 0 – Offensively Valhalla offered little to no competition against visiting Hilltop in Thursday’s (Mar. 14) Hilltop-Lolita’s Tournament game. PHOTOS

The Norsemen were limited to 3 hits as they suffered their fourth loss in five games.

Once again they wasted solid pitching by MITCH COOMBS, EDDIE VAN ANTWERP and LOGAN HESS who combined to limit the Lancers to 3 hits.

“The bottom line is we’re just not hitting,” said Valhalla coach MIKE WILSON. “It’s really a simple game, but you have to score runs to win. We’re not doing that.”

A double by JORDAN QSAR, a single by CONNOR HOPKINS and a pinch single by KRIS SMITH was all the offense Valhalla could muster against Justin Sparby, who pitched a 3-hit shutout with 5 strikeouts.

RANCHO BERNARDO 17, EL CAPITAN 0 – The Broncos battered El Capitan in Thursday’s (Mar. 14) Hilltop-Lolita’s Tournament game to qualify for Saturday’s (Mar. 15) championship encounter.

Catcher Alex Jackson laced an inside the park home run in the 1st inning and that set the tone for Rancho Bernardo’s blowout of the Vaqueros. Jackson hit his second home run with a man aboard in the 6th inning.

“Give them credit, they’re a great team with a lot of talent,” noted Vaqueros coach JORDAN ABRUZZO.

The Vaqueros (1-4) got their only hits on singles by ERIC LOZANO and JESSIE BURNS.

EL CAJON VALLEY at LINCOLN – No report. 18th Annual Christian Patriot Invitational.

By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com
SANTEE (3-14-13) — The West Hills Wolf Pack has the best record in East County at the moment. But even a 4-1 start isn’t enough to earn the Pack a berth in Saturday’s (Mar. 16) finals of the Foothiller-Aztec championship.

The fast start under first-year West Hills head coach CORDELL HIPOLITO might come somewhat as a surprise, but not to senior pitcher DAVID HESSLINK.

A 6-foot-2, 160-pound southpaw transfer from Bethesda, Md., Hesslink pitched a complete game 6-hitter with 6 strikeouts on Wednesday (Mar. 13) to earn his second win in three decisions as West Hills beat visiting Monte Vista, 6-2.

“All my pitches were working and coach (Hipolito) and I were on the same page,” Hesslink said. “I’m no flame-thrower. Actually my change-up was my ‘out’ pitch.”

Hesslink, who owns a 4.77 grade point average, will continue his education at M.I.T. and play baseball at the Cambridge, Mass., institution.

On the East Coast once he got on the diamond he posted a 4-1 record with a 1.62 ERA and earned all-state as a junior.

“I love the weather in California because we wouldn’t even have started our season when I lived in Maryland, until at least this week,” Hesslink said.

West Hills had two clutch hits against Monte Vista – a 2-run double by D.J. LEWIS and a 2-run triple by ALEX WAGNER.

PAUL O’CONNOR led the Monarchs with 3 hits in four at-bats, including a solo home run in the 1st inning and an RBI single in the 7th.

Poor fielding led to Monte Vista’s demise as the Monarchs fell to 0-3. Four errors led to 5 unearned runs.

GROSSMONT 8, POINT LOMA 0 – Six-foot-7, 170-pound righthander JOEY VISKAS limited Point Loma to one hit over four innings and received hitless relief from J.T. BARNES and PEYTON LINDSAY as Grossmont dusted the Pointers (2-2) in Wednesday’s (Mar. 13) Foothiller-Aztec Classic at Dana Middle School.

“His curveball was on today,” Grossmont coach CHAD WILLIAMS said of Viskas. “He’s not a strikeout guy, but he throws strikes and lets the hitters put the ball in play. We played good defense behind him.”

Lindsay led the offensive charge for the Foothillers (3-1) with a 2-run double in the 2nd inning and an RBI single in the 4th as Grossmont took a 7-0 lead.

ALEX MARLAY also had an RBI double in the 2nd inning and a base hit in the 4th.

VISTA 2, HELIX 1 (10 inn.) – Three Helix pitchers – FRANKIE NUNEZ, RYAN CROSSLEY and ALEX BRITSCHGI – limited visiting Vista to one earned run in 10 innings. But the Highlanders still found a way to lose their 4th Foothiller-Aztec Classic game on Wednesday (Mar. 13) in La Mesa.

It’s been a painful row of setbacks as three of the Highlanders’ losses have come by a total of five runs.

The game was decided on a home run by Vista ’s Billy Roth in the 10th inning.

“We pitched extremely well, like we have most of the season so far,” said Helix coach COLE HOLLAND. “But when you play close games you have to execute, and we haven’t done that. Take this game for example – we attempted four sacrifice bunts and only executed one.”

That bunt figured in Helix’s only score of the game.

Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the 4th, DERRICK CLARK singled, advanced to second on a passed ball, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by NICO ALCOSER and scored on a base hit by RAY PETERSON.

CHRISTIAN 5, HORIZON 0 – STEPHEN JOHNSTON pitched a 2-hit shutout and struck out 8 as the Patriots improved to 3-2 with Wednesday’s (Mar. 13) victory over Horizon in the 18th Annual Christian Patriot Invitational at Alliant International University.

The Patriots scored single runs in the first three innings to expand their scoring streak to nine frames dating back to Tuesday’s (Mar. 12) rout of Mountain Empire.

It wasn’t a case of the Patriots blistering Horizon’s pitchers, because they only collected 5 hits – all of which were singles.

TYLER LESLIE slugged an RBI single in the 1st inning, and that would be all that Christian would need to move above the .500 mark.

KYLE STOWERS was 2-for-3 with 2 runs scored to pace the Christian offense.

DEL NORTE 10, SANTANA 4 – Visiting Santana took a 2-0 lead after two innings but couldn’t hold on as undefeated Del Norte collected its fourth win on Wednesday (Mar. 13) in the Bully’s East/Andy Sanchez Memorial Tournament.

In the 6th inning with Santana leading 7-4 and runners on second and third, HOOTIE HUDSON struck out on a dropped 3rd strike. He ran towards first base but the catcher short-hopped the ball and the first baseman blocked it. During the play BRIAN PARKER raced home from third for an apparent run scored. However, the umpires made an “odd call” – and after a conference, called interference on Hudson, who was therefore the third out of the inning.

Sultans assistant coach JEFF BARRY advised the umpire, “That throw was in the dirt, and your call affected the outcome of the game.”

“It just killed our momentum,” Barry said. “It should have been 7-5 with runners on first and third and our leading hitter TYLER BROWNING up.”

TOMMY LOGAN was 2-for-4 to lead the Santana offense.

“It was a closer game than the final score indicates,” Barry said. “I felt that DAULTON (BARRY) threw a good game for the first couple of innings. In the 3rd inning we ended up giving up 3 runs instead of one and gave up 3 runs in the 6th inning – all unearned.”

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 18, ARMY-NAVY 1 (5 inn.) – The Knights hammered out 19 hits and scored in every inning in Wednesday’s (Mar. 13) Eagle Classic at Barona to all but assure itself a spot in the tournament championship game.

RYAN DEYLING gave up only one run on one hit to the Warriors in four innings, while going 3-for-3 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI to pace Foothills Christian (4-0).

Catcher DANIEL LUCKETT was 4-for-4 with 2 doubles and 4 runs scored for the Knights, while EZRA SIMS added 3 hits and 2 RBI.

JERROD VRZICH was 3-for-3 with 3 runs scored and 2 RBI. TREVOR TINNEY was 2-for-2 with 3 runs scored.

OTAY RANCH 9, MOUNT MIGUEL 6 – The hard luck Matadors found another way to lose in Wednesday’s (Mar. 13) Bully’s East/Andy Sanchez Memorial Tournament in Spring Valley.

One thing you have to say about the Matadors is, they don’t give up. And that’s a credit to their coach, JASON BABINEAU.

After falling behind 9-1 in the first two innings to Otay Ranch (5-0), the Matadors kept pecking away and just came up a little bit short as they lost their fifth straight game.

BRAD MORENO was 2-for-3 with a triple and 2 RBI, while JOEL SANDOVAL was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored for Mount Miguel.

MIRA MESA 7, STEELE CANYON 2 – Shoddy defense cost Steele Canyon a shot at a berth in the finals of the Foothiller-Aztec Classic as the Cougars fell to visiting Mira Mesa in the final round of the tournament.

The Cougars (3-2) committed five errors yet remained in contention against the Marauders until the visitors scored five runs in the 6th inning.

Steele Canyon mustered only four hits including 2 doubles and an RBI by BERNY ARIPEZ. MACKEY BOWERS also tripled and scored in the 7th inning.

© East County Sports.com
CORONADO (3-13-13) — West Hills High pitchers TRENT TOPLIKAR, DEVIN WOLF and KRIS AGUILAR combined to throw a no-hitter at the Coronado Islanders in Tuesday’s (Mar. 12) Foothiller-Aztec Classic on the peninsula.

The victory raised West Hills record to 3-1.

Toplikar worked the first four innings to earn the win.

No other details were reported.

GRANITE HILLS 9, POWAY 0 – In a battle of Top 10 teams, the visiting Eagles proved they were superior in Tuesday night’s (Mar. 12) Hilltop-Lolita’s Tournament game on the Titans’ turf.

Sophomore DANIEL VASQUEZ of Granite Hills was the standout while he pitched 6 innings of shutout ball while striking out 7. But that was only half the story as the Eagles’ leadoff hitter was 3-for-4 with 2 doubles, 2 runs scored and 2 RBI in the blowout for Granite Hills (2-1).

Vasquez was the key to the first two Granite Hills rallies. He doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly by JAYSON ROSE in the 1st inning. In the 5th inning Vasquez whacked a 2-run double to make it 3-0.

An inning later the Eagles turned the game into a rout with 6 runs.

SEAN WALKER belted a 3-run homer to key the big inning and JOSH ROSE added a 2-run double.

Game. Set. Match.

“Vasquez pounded the strike zone, kept the ball down,” noted Eagles coach JAMES DAVIS. “We’ve always known he’s a double threat but he’s finally had a great hitting game. His pitching was super, like it always is.”

RANCHO BERNARDO 6, VALHALLA 5 (8 inn.) – The Norsemen suffered their third last-inning loss in four games in Tuesday’s (Mar. 12) Hilltop-Lolita’s Tournament game as they blew a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the 7th inning and eventually lost in eight frames.

“It’s frustrating because we’re a good club,” said Valhalla coach MIKE WILSON. “We have to work on situational hitting because that’s not one of our strengths. That, and we need to learn how to finish a game, which we haven’t figured out yet.”

Valhalla took a 1-0 lead in the 4th inning as DOMENIC DONATO singled to center and advanced to third on a double by JEFF HOUGHTBY. Donato scored on a groundout by ISREAL JUAREZ.

Valhalla snapped a 1-1 tie in the 5th inning as GIUSEPPE CASTANOS doubled and eventually scored on a sacrifice bunt by SEAN CROSBY. That made it 2-1.

The Norsemen expanded their lead to 4-1 in the 7th inning on an RBI double by Crosby and a single by RAMSEY ROMANO.

Victory looked secure at that point but Valhalla’s pitching collapsed and folded.

“This one really hurt,” said Wilson. “SEAN FLANNERY pitched a 2-hitter through six innings and then seemed to run out of gas.”

He was not bailed out by Valhalla ’s relief pitching. The Norsemen looked like they were going to rebound in the 8th inning as CONNOR HOPKINS doubled to center to score Houghtby and give Valhalla a 5-4 lead.

But the Broncos bounced back with 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th to steal the victory.

The hard luck loser for El Capitan was JESSIE BURNS, who allowed only 5 hits and one earned run in a complete game effort for the Vaqueros (1-3).

El Capitan’s only hits were singles by Burns and TYLER DEGRAFF.

“We had the bases loaded twice, had a chance to win the game,” said El Capitan coach JORDAN ABRUZZO. “It was 0-0 in the 4th inning. We were a couple of hits away from winning the game.”

“Jessie did a great job on the mound,” Abruzzo added.

OTAY RANCH 9, SANTANA 3 – After winning their first two games the Santana Sultans were overmatched by Otay Ranch in Tuesday’s (Mar. 12) Bully’s East/Andy Sanchez Memorial Tournament.

Before the Sultans began to make contact they were trailing the Mustangs 5-0 going into the 4th inning.

An RBI double by BRIAN PARKER and an RBI single by HOOTIE HUDSON put the Sultans on the board.

Santana’s final run came in the 5th inning on an RBI single by TOMMY LOGAN.

IMPERIAL df. EL CAJON VALLEY – No report. 18th Annual Christian Patriot Invitational.

By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com
CARLSBAD (3-12-13) — After a slow start which saw visiting Granite Hills High fall behind host La Costa Canyon 2-0 in the 1st inning, Eagles senior southpaw TRENTON BROOKS took command.

Brooks limited the Mavericks to one hit over the next five innings and finished with 8 strikeouts before SEAN WALKER came on to spin a perfect 7th in Monday (Mar. 11) afternoon’s 7-2 Hilltop-Lolita’s Tournament victory.

The Eagles (1-1) will play at Poway Tuesday (Mar. 12) at 6:30 p.m.

Brooks was also 2-for-3 with 2 runs scored and two RBI.

Granite Hills tied the game in the 3rd inning on a two-run triple to dead center by JAYSON ROSE. Ironically, the winning run scored on a strikeout and a put out at first base as Rose sprinted home with the go-ahead marker.

In the 5th inning, Brooks singled and scored on JOSH ROSE’s home run.

The Eagles added some padding in the 6th on a double by JUSTIN MITCHELL and a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by DANIEL VASQUEZ. Brooks closed the door with an RBI single.

“It is tough to score runs in this yard,” said Granite Hills coach JAMES DAVIS. “So when you get a lead it’s a good feeling.”

VALHALLA 6, EL CAPITAN 1 – Six-foot-5 senior right-hander ZACK HYMER turned in an overpowering complete pitching performance Monday (Mar. 11) as the Norsemen claimed a Hilltop-Lolita’s Tournament victory.

Hymer walked none and struck out six while scattering 7 hits in his varsity debut.

Valhalla took a 1-0 lead in the opening inning as RAMSEY ROMANO doubled to left for the first of his 3 hits and advanced to third on an error. He scored on a groundout by JEFF HOUGHTBY.

In the 2nd inning ISREAL JUAREZ hit a one-out double to left field. COREY ZIMMERMAN singled to left to put runners at the corners for the Norsemen (1-2). SEAN CROSBY doubled, scoring Juarez. Romano hoisted a sacrifice fly to left field to make it 3-0.

El Capitan made a comeback bid in the 5th inning on singles by AUSTIN CURO-RUIS, TYLER DEGRAFF and CONRAD STANTON.

Valhalla put the game away in the bottom of the 5th. Crosby walked, Romano doubled to right, Houghtby doubled to center, scoring Crosby and Romano. GIUSEPPE CASTANOS hit a sacrifice fly to center.

“We’re a basic baseball team built on pitching and defense,” said Valhalla coach MIKE WILSON. “Scoring runs has been a problem for us but we’re working on it. We’re aggressive on the bases and we always play great defense.”

Romano was 3-for-3 in the Valhalla leadoff spot.

Curo-Ruis had 2 of El Capitan ’s 7 hits.

SANTANA 4, MISSION HILLS 1 – ALAN STRONG pitched a 2-hitter as the Sultans improved to 2-0 in Monday’s (Mar. 11) Bully’s East/Andy Sanchez Memorial Tournament.

Strong also helped himself at the plate as he reached base on an error in the 2nd inning. TIM HUSON was hit by a pitch and DARREN DIAZ tripled off the right-center field fence to give the Sultans a 2-1 lead they wouldn’t lose.

NATHAN NUNEZ also collected 2 hits for Santana.

STEELE CANYON 7, SAN YSIDRO 4 – The Cougars of Steele Canyon rallied from a 4-0 deficit in the 5th inning in Monday’s (Mar. 11) Foothiller-Aztec Classic action to pull off their third victory in four starts.

In the 5th inning Steele Canyon scored on doubles by NATHAN MURRAY and TANNER PERRY, along with a sacrifice fly by BERNY ARIPEZ.

Aripez saved his biggest blow for the 6th inning when he tripled with the bases loaded. Leading up to Aripez’ clutch hit was a single by COLE FLINT.

Three Steele Canyon Cougars shared in the pitching with reliever SEAN McCARTHY pitching the final 1 2/3 innings to pick up the win. Starter CASEY BALIKIAN allowed 4 runs in 5 innings while striking out 5.

TANNER PERRY and MACKEY BOWERS each accounted for 2 hits of the team’s 9.

MONTGOMERY 5, HELIX 2 – Pitching-rich Montgomery is 4-0 and that means the Aztecs will certainly be a major player in the post-season.

In their latest outing the Aztecs knocked off Helix, limiting the Highlanders to 5 hits in Monday’s (Mar. 11) Foothiller-Aztec Classic.

Helix avoided the shutout in the 6th inning. DERRICK CLARK walked, one out later RAY PETERSON singled and JORGE GARCIA singled to load the bases. NICO ALCOSER hit a sacrifice fly and the Aztecs misplayed the relay to allow a second Highlander to score.

But it didn’t matter as three Aztec pitchers combined on a 5-hitter for the win.

ELIJAH VARELA allowed 3 earned runs over five innings but was tagged with the loss.

“We have to figure out a way to win,” said Helix coach COLE HOLLAND. “People are out there to beat us. Eventually we’ll be all right.”

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 7, CALVIN CHRISTIAN 5 – The Knights of Foothills Christian came from behind to knock off Calvin Christian in the first round of the Tri-City Christian Eagle Classic on Monday (Mar. 11).

The bottom of the 6th was the pivotal frame for the Knights (4-0). NOAH GULA singled and stole second and RYAN DEYLING walked. MARK PROFETA bunted to load the bases. TREVOR TINNEY walked to force in a run, and EZRA SIMS singled in Deyling to make it 5-4.

JERROD VRZICH then sliced a 2-run single to make it 7-4.

Tinney pitched the 7th inning to earn the save, giving Vrzich his second win in as many decisions.

Vrzich finished 3-for-4 with 2 RBI and 3 stolen bases.

By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com
VISTA (3-10-13) — Despite going hitless for five innings, the visiting Grossmont Foothillers nailed down a 10-5 victory over host Vista in Saturday’s (Mar. 9) Foothiller-Aztec Classic.

It took the Foothillers nine innings and two clutch doubles by junior catcher HUNTER STRATTON to get the job done.

Stratton ripped a 2-run double over the center fielder’s head, giving Grossmont a 2-0 lead in the 1st inning. Then he capped off the afternoon with a bases loaded double that short-hopped the right field fence in Grossmont’s 5-run 9th inning.

Actually it was DEREK RUSTICH’s RBI single that broke a 5-5 tie in the 9th.

At first it looked like Grossmont was going to breeze as the Foothillers took a 5-0 lead in the 2nd inning. NICO MAIDA hit an RBI single in the explosive 2nd inning and ANTHONY CARNEIRA also had a bunt single.

Leadoff hitter NOAH BUCHANAN had two hits and scored three runs and drove in another.

Grossmont (2-1) went hitless from the 4th through the 8th but still came out the victor thanks to some solid pitching by four Foothiller hurlers.

Reliever J.T. BARNES blanked the Panthers over the final two frames to earn the victory.

WEST HILLS 1, EASTLAKE 0 – WILL BENNETT twirled a complete game 3-hit shutout in Saturday’s (Mar. 9) Foothiller-Aztec Classic in the South Bay.

The West Hills junior walked only two and struck out four as he outdueled Eastlake ace James L’esperance.

The Wolf Pack scored the only run it needed in the 4th inning when COLE PENDLETON doubled off the left field wall to score FRANK MELLO.

West Hills’ pitching, despite a loss to Montgomery, has not allowed an earned run in 14 innings.

MISSION HILLS 3, MOUNT MIGUEL 2 – For the third time Mount Miguel lost a game with two outs in the 7th inning after leading Saturday’s (Mar. 9) Bully’s East/Andy Sanchez Memorial Tournament.

The Matadors (0-4) led 2-0 before surrendering their first run to the Grizzlies in the bottom of the 6th inning.

Then the roof caved in during the 7th as Mission Hills pushed across the tying and winning runs, making BRAD MORENO the hard luck loser.

Moreno pitched 6 2/3 innings and struck out 8. The junior righthander also whacked a single and a double and scored both of Mount Miguel ’s runs.

In the 4th inning Moreno led off with a double and continued on to third when the right fielder kicked the ball. He scored on a base hit by DOMINIC SAWYER.

With one out in the top of the 6th Moreno singled and stole second. The Matadors proceeded to load the bases on a single by ENRIQUE KELLER and a walk to Sawyer.

Mission Hills booting a ground ball, allowing Moreno to score.

“Brad Moreno played an exceptional game on the mound and at the plate today,” said Matadors coach JASON BABINEAU. “We played four games and have lost three with two outs in the 7th inning. We’re getting closer to where we need to be. The most important thing is our guys are staying positive and ready to work hard every day.”

MADISON 2, CHRISTIAN 1 – All the ingredients for a victory were there for the visiting Patriots in Saturday’s (Mar. 9) 18th Annual Christian Patriot Invitational encounter at Madison.

Christian out-hit the Warhawks 6-3, committed only one error and issued just three walks.

However, Madison (1-2) was able to score runs in the 1st and 5th innings on one hit between the two frames.

Christian should have escaped unscathed in the 5th inning but misplayed an infield fly to allow the Warhawks to score the winning run.

“Unbelievable,” said Patriots coach MIKE MITCHELL. “We got the automatic out and then can’t make the catch and we allow the guy to score at his own risk from third base. Talk about a gift run.”

That run spoiled a sparkling pitching performance by BRYCE JURRIES who allowed only one earned run and three hits over 5 2/3 innings.

A questionable balk call, along with a walk and a wild pitch, allowed Madison to score its initial run.

Christian lone tally came in the 5th inning. WILLIAM HAIL singled to left field and advanced to second on a groundout. He scored on a base hit by KYLE STOWERS, which at the time tied the game at 1-1.

STEPHEN JOHNSTON accounted for two of Christian’s six hits.

© East County Sports.com
LA JOLLA (3-9-13) — Although rain postponed the majority of Friday’s (Mar. 8) games, the artificial turf as La Jolla Country Day allowed Steele Canyon and the Torreys to conduct business as usual in the third round of the Foothiller-Aztec Classic.

The Torreys (3-0) scored 5 runs in the 1st inning and carried an 8-0 lead after five innings on their way to a 13-7 victory.

Steele Canyon (2-1) finally came to life in the final two frames to do all its scoring.

BERNY ARIPEZ, who was 3-for-4 for the afternoon, singled in a run in the 3-run 6th and MACKEY BOWERS added a sacrifice fly.

The problem for the Cougars was they surrendered 5 runs in the bottom of the 6th to fall behind 13-3.

Steele Canyon rallied for 4 runs in the final frame. WYATT LOGAN led off the 7th inning with a single. JOEY GERARDI walked and JOE AGUIRRE ran for him. SERGIO ALCARAZ singled to load the bases, and NATHAN MURRAY hoisted a sacrifice fly to score Logan. COLE FLINT hit into a force play and TANNER PERRY followed with a 3-run homer to left center.

Tommy Edman paced LJCD’s 14-hit attack with a 3-for-4 effort and 4 RBI. Torrey’s ace Dustin Hughes blanked the Cougars over the first five innings before surrendering 3 runs in the 6th inning as he logged his second win in as many decisions.

Christian pitcher Kyle Stowers shared in the shutout, and knocked in six runs. .(Photo by Frank Price, www.youatplay.com) VIEW / PURCHASE ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (3-8-13) — Freshman KYLE STOWERS was a double threat for Christian High in the Patriots’ 18-0 victory over visiting El Cajon Valley in the second round of the 18th Annual Christian Patriot Invitational.

Stowers blanked the Braves on one hit over the first two innings and was even more destructive as a hitter. He stroked a 3-run homer in the 10 run 1st inning and added a double, a single and a total of 6 RBI in the lop-sided victory.

Three other Christian pitchers – Bryce Jarvis, Joe Ross and A.J. Gregorovic – shared in the 1-hit shutout.

“It was pretty ugly,” said Patriots coach MIKE MITCHELL, who’s team scored in each of its four turns at bat.

El Cajon Valley’s lone hit was from ELMER RAMIREZ, who doubled in the 1st inning.

ECVHS's outfield with a narrow miss on a fly ball to the gap. .(Photo by Frank Price, www.youatplay.com)

POWAY 5, VALHALLA 4 – Valhalla suffered its second last-inning loss as the Poway Titans scored two runs in the 6th inning to erase a 4-3 Norsemen lead in Thursday’s (Mar. 7) Hilltop-Lolita’s Tournament.

Valhalla (0-2) took a 3-2 lead in the 2nd inning as ISREAL JUAREZ hit a sacrifice fly and RAMSEY ROMANO singled to left to make it a 2-run lead.

Valhalla tacked on a fourth run in the 3rd inning as DOMENIC DONATO singled to left and CONNOR HOPKINS sacrificed him to second. After two bunts backfired for the Norsemen Juarez grounded out to drive in the fourth run.

After that it was all Poway.

Big slides by Valhalla baserunners find Jordan Qsar (top) safe at third, base, while Israel Juarez tried to prevent a double play vs. Poway .(Photos by Don DeMars Photography) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

RANCHO BUENA VISTA 19, EL CAPITAN 4 – The youthful Vaqueros held their own against the visiting Longhorns of Rancho Buena Vista (2-0) in Thursday’s (Mar. 7) Hilltop-Lolita’s Tournament action.

The 1st inning was tied 2-2. The Vaqueros (1-1) never scored again until the final frame.

“I’m pretty proud of our effort and sticking together and never giving up all seven innings,” said Vaqueros first-year coach JORDAN ABRUZZO. “These guys showed a lot of fight – they are a hard-working group. It wasn’t a matter of effort – RBV is a very strong team.”

GRANITE HILLS at LA COSTA CANYON – This Hilltop-Lolita’s Tournament contest was postponed due to rain to Mon. (Mar. 11) at 3 p.m.

© East County Sports.com
CHULA VISTA (3-7-13) — The Grossmont Foothillers made it clear that they were sick of losing Foothiller-Aztec Classic action.

Grossmont snapped a 21-game losing streak dating back to last season as the Foothillers pounded out 15 hits in a 17-2 victory over Mater Dei Catholic on Wednesday (Mar. 6).

“It’s always nice to get out to a great start, get that first win out of the way,” said Foothillers first year head coach CHAD WILLIAMS. “It was nice to see FREDDY WALKER and ALEX MARLAY come in and have a (combined) 6-for-6 day with 4 runs and 5 RBI.”

Nine Foothillers contributed to a 15 hit attack. Not to be overlooked was HUNTER STRATTON, who was 2-for-3 with a double and 2 RBI.

Leadoff man NOAH BUCHANAN was 2-for-2 with a double, a run scored and an RBI.

It was a victory that the Foothillers had waited for almost a year to celebrate.

Four Foothillers combined to spin a 3-hitter at the Crusaders in the victory celebration.

STEELE CANYON 11, VISTA 1 – The Cougars rattled off 14 hits and received strong pitching as they dispatched the visiting Panthers in Wednesday’s (Mar. 6) Foothiller-Aztec Classic.

An 8-run 6th inning helped Steele Canyon (2-0) put the game away. Freshman JOEY GERARDI supplied the key hit, which was a 3-run double. He finished with 4 RBI and 2 hits in the contest.

NATHAN MURRAY spearheaded the 14 hit attack with a 3-for-4 effort which included a double and an RBI. COLE FLINT also had two hits for the Cougars, as did BERNY ARIPEZ.

CASEY BALIKIAN and CHRIS BARKLEY combined to scatter 7 hits and only one run in the victory for the Cougars.

SANTANA 11, SWEETWATER 0 – Sultans pitchers ALAN STRONG and RYAN BROWNING combined for a one hit shutout with 11 strikeouts in Wednesday’s (Mar. 6) opening round of the Bully’s East/Andy Sanchez Memorial Tournament at Sweetwater.

TYLER BROWNING slashed a double and two RBI while COLTEN STUTZ and Strong also collected two hits for Santana. TIM HUSON added two RBI.

“Strong had five great innings and Ryan Browning shut the door,” said Santana coach TIM BARRY. “That’s pretty good for our first outing.”

MONTGOMERY 3, WEST HILLS 2 – The Wolf Pack’s hopes were dashed in Wednesday’s (Mar. 6) Foothiller-Aztec Classic when some early defensive generosity led to two unearned runs for the visiting Montgomery Aztecs.

All three Montgomery runs could be considered gifts. West Hills fielding miscues led to 2 runs and an untimely wild pitch plated another. When playing a fundamentally sound opponent, these missteps are often magnified.

Head Coach CORDELL HIPOLITO certainly saw it that way.

"When you play Montgomery they force you to execute", he said. "And when you don't execute, you end up paying the price".

West Hills had some fight though. Trailing 3-0, junior center fielder D.J. LEWIS opened the bottom of the 3rd inning with a triple into the right-center gap. It took lead-off hitter HAYDEN SCHILLING only one pitch to produce the run on a groundout to second base.

The Wolf Pack cut the lead to 3-2 two innings later. Catcher JOHNNY ESPINOZA led with an infield hit and later scored on an ALEX WAGNER ground ball.

West Hills made one final push in the 7th inning, getting the tying run to second base with only one out. But a strikeout and groundout ended the rally, and left the Wolf Pack wondering what might have been.

First year Pack coach Hipolito has seen some things to like about this year's squad.

“We've been getting down early,” he said. “But this team has already shown an ability to fight back. That's important.”

Not to be overlooked was the impressive outing of junior starting pitcher DAVID HESSLINK. Hesslink shook off the shoddy defense and his own early wildness, to allow only 4 hits over six innings with only one earned run. Junior second basemen DALLAS SIEGEL paced the Wolf Pack offense with 2 hits in 3 at bats.

West Hills continues in the Foothiller-Aztec Classic on Friday (Mar. 8) with a trip to Coronado to take on the Islanders at 3 p.m.

— Mark Meadows

MIRA MESA 2, HELIX 1 – Helix wasted pitching by JEREMIAH WYLIE, ALEX BRITSCHGI and RYAN CROSSLEY in a game the Highlanders (0-2) lost in the final inning on Wednesday’s (Mar. 6) Foothiller-Aztec Classic action.

Mira Mesa scored two runs in the bottom of the 6th to break a scoreless tie.

SHANE NOBIENSKY slashed an RBI single in the top of the 7th but the Highlanders fell short.

“We gave up 14 runs on Saturday against Eastlake in our first game,” said Helix coach COLE HOLLAND. “We’re very young, we have got to learn how to win. We have learned a lot since Saturday.”

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 11, CV-HIGH TECH 4 (5 inn., darkness) – JERROD VRZICH drove in 4 runs in Wednesday’s (Mar. 6) Tri-City Christian’s Eagle Classic as the Knights beat Chula Vista High Tech High for the second time this season in a 5-inning game called by darkness..

DANIEL LUCKETT added a 2-run double to the victor’s totals.

NOAH GULA pitched 2 2/3 innings of shutout relief to earn the win.

POINT LOMA 2, MONTE VISTA 0 – The Monarchs wasted 3-hit pitching by REILLY DIAZ and DANIEL VELAZQUEZ in Wednesday’s (Mar. 6) loss to Point Loma in Foothiller-Aztec Classic action.

Monte Vista ’s offense consisted of base hits by ANDREW POIRIER and KYLE BEDSOLE.

KEARNY 5, MOUNT MIGUEL 4 – For the third time in three games Mount Miguel let a lead slip away in the final frame as the Matadors fell to Kearny in the Bully’s East/Andy Sanchez Memorial Tournament.

Five errors led to the Matadors’ latest defeat. The frustration, however, carried over to the 7th inning where Kearny scored the final two runs to pull off the victory.

© East County Sports.com
CHULA VISTA (3-6-13) — JORDAN ABRUZZO has been a familiar name around East County baseball circles for years. On Tuesday (Mar. 5), he took the El Capitan High reins from legendary coach STEVE VICKERY in the opening round of the Hilltop-Lolita’s Tournament.

Abruzzo’s crew wasted little time taking command as JESSIE BURNS slugged a 3-run homer in the 1st inning and pitched a 3-hitter without allowing an earned run over six innings in a 3-2 victory over the Lancers.

ALEX HELMS retired the side in order to earn the save.

El Capitan did not issue a walk but was hampered by four errors, which handed Hilltop two unearned runs.

“A lot of credit goes to Burns for giving us some senior leadership,” said Abruzzo. “We have three freshmen starting. But to come out with a win like this has to give our young team confidence.”

RANCHO BERNARDO 6, GRANITE HILLS 2 – In a battle of two top 10 teams, visiting Rancho Bernardo rallied from a 2-0 deficit to pull out the victory in the Hilltop-Lolita’s Tournament on Tuesday (Mar. 5).

Gosuke Katoh was 3-for-5 and a triple to lead the Broncos.

Granite Hills had taken a 2-0 lead in the 2nd inning without getting a hit as they converted three walks and groundouts by NOAH CUMMINGS and SEAN WALKER.

“We hit the ball hard most of the day but we couldn’t get anything to fall,” said Eagles coach JAMES DAVIS. “Make no mistake about it, this is a tough tournament – probably tougher than the CIF playoffs.”

The lone highlight for Granite Hills was JOSH ROSE had 2 singles in four at-bats.

RANCHO BUENA VISTA 2, VALHALLA 1 – Things started out great for the Valhallla Norsemen as RAMSEY ROMANO tripled to center field and scored on a groundout by JORDAN HOUGHTBY in the 1st inning of Tuesday’s (Mar. 5) Hilltop-Lolita’s Tournament.

SEAN FLANNERY made that lead stand up for four shutout innings before the Longhorns tied it in the 5th on a home run by Michael Benson.

The Longhorns pulled out the victory on an RBI double by Kevin Collard off reliever Romano.

“This is the third time in four years that we’ve lost our opening game in the bottom of the 7th,” said Valhalla coach MIKE WILSON. “ Poway did it to us twice then RBV did today. It was a tough loss.”

Not that Wilson figured this was the end of the season.

“There are no gimmee games in this tournament,” he said. “But you play against a quality field like this because it helps you by the end of the year. It may be frustrating early but it pays off in the end.”

Flannery allowed only 2 runs and 3 hits in six innings in a losing effort.

Rancho Buena Vista ’s Kellen Sheppard pitched a 4-hitter, walked none and struck out 10 in a complete game effort.

“He’s a quality guy,” Wilson said of the Longhorns’ pitcher.

IMPERIAL 7, CHRISTIAN 3 – Visiting Christian surrendered six runs in the 2nd inning of Tuesday’s (Mar. 5) 18th Annual Christian Patriot Invitational and never recovered.

Four of those runs were unearned, which was the difference in the outcome.

TREVOR HOWELL, BRANDON TARDIFF and TYLER LESLIE all collected RBI but it was too little too late for the Patriots.

Designated hitter Leslie accounted for 2 of Christian’s 7 hits, and three Christian pitchers were burned by 4 unearned runs.

“We actually played well except for one inning,” said Patriots coach MIKE MITCHELL. “We have players just off soccer or basketball so we’ve literally had only one week of actual practice. We’re behind where we need to be.”

MOUNTAIN EMPIRE 16, EL CAJON VALLEY 0 (5 inn.) – Early rumors hinted that El Cajon Valley would not field a varsity baseball team this spring.

So far, so wrong. A beleaguered bunch of Braves showed up for Tuesday’s (Mar. 5) 18th annual Christian Patriot Invitational opener at Mountain Empire and were mowed down by the Red Hawks.

No other information was reported.

© East County Sports.com
LA MESA (3-3-13) — A 5-run 2nd inning, spear-headed by a two-run single by BERNY ARIPEZ, propelled Steele Canyon High to a 6-4 victory over Point Loma in Saturday’s (Mar. 2) opening round of the Foothiller-Aztec Classic at Helix High.

TANNER PERRY and NATHAN MURRAY had three hits apiece for the Cougars, who totaled 12 for the day.

Perry had an RBI single in the key 2nd inning and drove in a run in the 4th to make it 6-3.

Aripez and WYATT LOGAN finished with two hits apiece for Steele Canyon.

Three Cougars pitchers combined on a 6-hitter with ALEX VESIA pitching five innings without allowing an earned run to earn the victory. S

CHRIS BARKLEY spun 1 1/3 innings of relief, allowing only one hit and one earned run.

SEAN McCARTHY got the final two outs to earn the save.

Points of note: Cougars pitchers did not allow any walks in the entire game. All the pitchers, except Vesia, were pitching in their first varsity outings (Vesia had pitched in just one varsity game last year).

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 9, CV-HIGH TECH 5 – Foothills Christian overcame a 5-0 deficit by scoring 9 runs in the final two innings of Saturday’s (Mar. 2) non-league action at Sweetwater Senior Little League.

TREVOR TINNEY led the charge for the Knights with a pair of doubles and 4 RBI.

RYAN DEYLING was 3-for-4 with a double and 2 RBI.

JERROD VRZICH pitched five innings and allowed only 3 earned runs to pick up the win. He also had a double in four turns at the plate.

NOAH GULA pitched two perfect innings of relief to earn the save.

“We had nice contact the first four innings – hit the ball hard – but got nothing for it,” said Foothills Christian coach DAVE LEWIS. “I don’t know if we hit the ball as hard the last two innings but everything seemed to fall our way.”

SAN YSIDRO 10, GROSSMONT 5 – Junior designated hitter PEYTON LINDSAY went 3-for-3 with a home run and 3 RBI for Grossmont in Saturday’s (Mar. 2) Foothiller-Aztec Classic at Joe Gizoni Field.

The Foothillers hammered out 10 hits, including a triple by HUNTER STRATTON and doubles by NOAH BUCHANAN and NICO MAIDA. BRETT STONE was 2-for-3.

Seven Grossmont pitchers paraded to the mound as San Ysidro hammered four home runs to pull out the victory.

“I think we hit it pretty well today, we just didn’t get the big hit that we needed,” said first-year Grossmont coach CHAD WILLIAMS. “We didn’t pitch well at times as far as location. The good news is its game No. 1 and we’ll get back after it on Wednesday.”

OLYMPIAN 5, MOUNT MIGUEL 4; OLYMPIAN 7, MOUNT MIGUEL 5 – Although Mount Miguel could easily have swept the season-opening doubleheader at Olympian, the Matadors came from behind to lose twice in Saturday’s (Mar. 2) non-league action.

In Game 1 Mount Miguel claimed leads of 2-1 and 4-3, but surrendered 2 runs in the bottom of the 7th to come up on the short end and spoil the complete game pitching of BRAD MORENO.

In the nightcap the Matadors took a 4-0 lead in the 2nd inning but couldn’t hang on despite five errors by Olympian.

CESAR PRECIADO was 3-for-7 with 2 runs scored and an RBI to lead Mount Miguel.

DANIEL RONK was 3-for-5 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI.

“The kids played hard but we need to get better at doing all the little things correctly,” said Mount Miguel coach JASON BABINEAU. “We put ourselves in a position to win, but baseball is 21 outs and we only got 20 of them in the second game. Fell one short.”

MONTGOMERY 9, MONTE VISTA 3 – The Monarchs under first-year coach MATT ATKINSON, rallied from a 4-0 deficit in the 5th inning of Saturday’s (Mar. 2) Foothiller-Aztec Classic action but couldn’t hold off perennial power Montgomery.

The Monarchs generated only four hits but REILLY DIAZ and ANDREW POIRIER each logged an RBI to cut the deficit to 4-3 in the top of the 5th inning.

After that it was all Montgomery as the Aztec bullpen out-twirled the Monarchs relievers.

“We’re just out there working hard and getting better each time we’re out there,” said Atkinson. “ Montgomery is well coached and it was good to see them right off the bat. If we’d made a couple of plays and tightened things up a bit it could have been different.”

EASTLAKE 14, HELIX 3 – An eight run 3rd inning by visiting Eastlake decided the issue in Saturday’s (Mar. 2) first round of the Foothiller-Aztec Classic at Helix.

The Highlanders took a 1-0 lead in the 2nd frame but by the close of the 4th inning they were trailing 11-2.

James L’esperance was a one-man gang for the Titans, driving in 6 runs with 3 hits, including a pair of homers. He also pitched the first four innings to earn the win.

Devin Kopas also popped a home run for Eastlake, in the 5th inning.

The Highlanders mustered only 4 hits. FRANKIE NUNEZ, JORGE GARCIA and TONY JENNINGS each had an RBI in the loss.

“We had seven guys in the lineup who had their first varsity at-bat today,” said Helix coach COLE HOLLAND. “It’s gonna be a process but we’re gonna get better.”

WEST HILLS 10, MIRA MESA 9 (10 inn.) – The Wolf Pack, under first year coach CORDELL HIPOLITO, edged Mira Mesa in Saturday’s (Mar. 2) opening round of the Foothiller-Aztec Classic played at Joe Gizoni Field at Grossmont High School.

CHASE PARSONS drove in the game-winning run, making a winning pitcher of DAVID HESSLINK.

By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (1-25-13) — Following more than five decades of competition, changes are underway in the CIF San Diego Section. Seven sports will no longer compete in divisions based on school enrollments.

Instead, those playoff teams will be grouped according to so-called strength of program. Therein lies plenty of potholes.

The section Board of Managers overwhelmingly gave verbal approval for the plan on Wednesday (Jan. 23).

First-year CIF commissioner Jerry Schniepp told U-T San Diego that “this is the right thing for the section.”

A mathematical formula that includes teams’ record, their rankings in the state, playoff appearances and opponents’ records will determine the division in which schools are placed.

A new 8-team Open Division was created in each sport in addition to the existing divisions. All eight teams in the Open Division will automatically advance to the playoffs.

The other divisions all have 12 teams advancing to the postseason except for Division V, which will have 8 teams in the playoffs.

Out of sheer brilliance the Open Division champion, according to Schniepp, will be designated the section champion. The other winners will simply be called division winners (which shows what he thinks about it).

The new format will swing into action this spring for baseball, among other sports.

Several coaches have already contacted East County Sports to express their disapproval of the revamped formula.

The same is true for football, where one coach at least, fears for his players being physically overmatched, which could lead to a major liability issue.

For the immediate future, winning section championships will probably mean your team will move up to the next toughest division the following year based on weighted results.

Keep in mind that MaxPreps is hardly an accurate guide of who is best and who is not because there are so many unqualified people (non-coaches and writers) making judgments only to favor their own team. It’s a complete joke.

Editor's Note: Most major media outlets in the state use CalHiSports for state rankings and all-state selections (they have for decades); MaxPreps paid a fee to CIF to become involved.

By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com
LAKESIDE (11-1-12) — It seems like plaudits for El Capitan High’s STEVE VICKERY are never ending. The veteran baseball coach and athletic director has been selected as an inductee to the 2012 CIF San Diego Coaching Legends, which will be awarded on Thursday (Nov. 8) at the Scottish Rite Center. The event begins with a 5:15 p.m. reception followed by the dinner and program at 6:30 p.m.

Vickery retired this year with 33 years coaching baseball to his credit and a record of 647-345-5. He trails only Rancho Bernardo’s Hank Blalock for the section’s all time lead.

Under Vickery’s leadership the Vaqueros have posted five San Diego CIF championships and 12 Grossmont League titles.

Rustich opts for Texas Tech
Six-foot-5, 225-pound corner infielder DEREK RUSTICH of Grossmont High is changing course for his college future. After dissolving a previous agreement to attend the University of San Diego on a baseball scholarship in August, Rustich quickly signed on with the Texas Tech Red Raiders of the Big 12 Conference. He batted .354 (29-for-82) with two home runs and 14 RBI last year as a junior.

More baseball coaching changes
• One thing about CORDELL HIPOLITO, formerly University City’s baseball coach, is he’s mobile – he never stays at one place very long. His next stop will be at West Hills as the Wolf Pack’s mentor, but scouting will always be on his horizon. This guy never misses indentifying a player with big league potential.

• Monte Vista has a new baseball coach in MATT ATKINSON, who by the way is a Monarchs alum, graduating in 1995. He was a pitcher under Monarchs coach MARK SMELKO.

Atkinson has been the pitching coach at Grossmont High for the past three years, receiving rave notices from Smelko and former Foothillers coaches ROB PHILLIPS and JIM EARLEY. Atkinson will bring along Grossmont assistant CAMERON BOCANEGRA to fill his Monarchs staff, plus RYAN EWIN, another MVHS alum.

• Serra High head coach SCOTT "Hoppy" HOPGOOD, who also serves as an assistant coach for the San Diego Stars semipro baseball team during the summer, was ousted by management of the Conquistadors on Wednesday (Oct. 31).

Hopgood is expected to quickly land on his feet as a collegiate scout along with his work with Stars owner-manager MICKEY DEUTSCHMAN. Hopgood, who turns 40 in December, played all nine positions during his six seasons of minor league ball, mostly with Independent League ballclubs in Saskatchewan and Sonoma County.

Serra and Christian were both switched from the Eastern League to the new City League for the upcoming 2013 season.
— Staff writer Nick Pellegrino contributed to this report.

CIFSDS Final Rankings U-T San Diego All Stories About LEMON GROVE LITTLE LEAGUE Senior League All-Stars HERE

El Capitan catcher Jordan Abruzzo led the Vaqueros to the 2003 CIFSDS Division II baseball championship. (East County Sports file photo)

By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com
LAKESIDE (8-25-12/Updated 8-27-12) — El Capitan High alum JORDAN ABRUZZO has accepted the major challenge of attempting to fill the shoes of record-breaking coach STEVE VICKERY as he accepted the varsity coaching position late last week.

“I think he is a great selection as he knows our program and our community very well,” noted Vickery, who is the second all-time winningest baseball coach in the San Diego CIF with a mark of 647-345-5 (.651).

Abruzzo is a 2003 graduate of El Capitan. In his final two yearsm the Vaqueros catcher batted a combined .444 (99-for-223) with 15 home runs and 89 RBI. He was a member of the Vaqueros 2003 San Diego Section Division II championship ballclub, twice earning first-team All-East County honors with the Vaqueros in 2002 and 2003.

“Jordan has a great background in the game and has a passion for teaching players at the high school level,” Vickery said.

Abruzzo was a four-year starter at the University of San Diego where he set and still holds several baseball records. He played 3 1/2 years in the NY Mets farm system.

Last year, he served as an assistant on head coach JAMES DAVIS' staff at Granite Hills.

“Jordan possesses the quality and attributes needed to run a successful program,” Vickery said. “We’re glad to have him aboard.”

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (8-21-12) — The San Diego Christian College Hawks picked up another local signee when MARK YOUNG accepted a baseball scholarship.

A 6-foot, 165-pound left-hander out of Helix High, Young will be pitching for former Major League stars Chris Bando (Cleveland, Detroit, Oakland) and Doug Jones (Milwaukee, Cleveland, Baltimore, Oakland, Houston, Philadelphia, Chicago Cubs).

A year ago, Young posted a 5-2 record with one save, a 2.46 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 48.1 innings as a senior for the Highlanders (21-11 overall).

By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (8-17-12) — Versatile Valhalla High senior RAMSEY ROMANO has accepted a baseball scholarship to the University of Michigan.

“I’m really excited about it,” said Romano, the Norsemen’s varsity quarterback, shortstop and closer.

Romano was taken by surprise when he was approached by Wolverines head coach Erik Bakich at the Area Code tryouts early this summer.

“That is where they first saw me,” Romano said. “Nobody said anything to me that day.”

His next contact with Michigan was at a Los Angeles Angels elite tryout camp at Anaheim Stadium.

After that he was offered a recruiting trip to the Ann Arbor campus last weekend (Aug. 11-12). It was at that point that he made a verbal commitment to Michigan.

“They recruited me as a shortstop,” Romano said. “This is going to be a great experience. There is no University of Michigan on the West Coast. That’s what makes me proud to be a kid from Southern California getting a chance like this.”

Bottom line is few athletes from SoCal get a crack at Big 12 competition in any sport.

“ Ann Arbor is a college town for a big school which is what I’ve always been looking for,” Romano said. “I want to play in the big time... where sports is of major importance.”

And so he will.

© East County Sports.com
LONG BEACH (7-30-12) — Grossmont High senior pitcher/ corner infielder DEREK RUSTICH is the only East County athlete selected to participate in the Area Code Games which begins a six-day run on Sunday (Aug. 5) at Blair Field.

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Rustich is one of nine San Diego CIF athletes playing for the Texas Rangers-sponsored ballclub in the national tryout camp. He will play his college ball at Texas Tech.

More than 100 pro scouts and college coaches are expected to attend the event.

By Nick Pellegrino
© East County Sports.com
HILLCREST (7-27-12) — The San Diego City Conference, following the lead of other conferences throughout the CIF San Diego Section, will soon divide its 20-member schools from three leagues to four in many sports for the 2012-13 school year. Most notably, baseball will split up, meaning Christian High will be placed in a new league.

The City Conference will keep its three long-standing leagues – Eastern, Western and Central – while adding the new City League. In baseball, those teams will feature Christian, Serra, Coronado, Lincoln and Clairemont.

"The Eastern League will be the power league with all of the city's largest schools by enrollment or the most competitive schools," noted Serra baseball coach SCOTT "Hoppy" HOPGOOD. "Those teams are Patrick Henry, Mira Mesa, Scripps Ranch, Cathedral Catholic and St. Augustine."

Many argued for years that because private schools have an advantage since they are allowed to recruit, perhaps they should be placed in a higher division for CIF playoff competition, despite official enrollment figures. The first step to such realignment has been taken by City Conference officials with the new "power" league.

The Western League will remain relatively intact with La Jolla, Mission Bay, University City, Madison, and Point Loma. The Central League features Crawford, Hoover, Kearny, Morse and San Diego.

Meeting the CIF minimum of five teams in all four leagues, the conference is also guaranteed at least four CIF playoff berths with four league champions, which could affect which schools gain first-round home games.

The North County Conference went to four leagues recently, while the Metro Conference (South Bay schools) now has three leagues in football.

Recipients of Patsy Earley Scholarships for 2012 are Will Soto (left) and Jon Howarth (right), sandwiched around former Foothillers coach Jim Earley. (Photo by Tim Soto)

Soto, Howarth named Earley scholars © East County Sports.com EL CAJON (7-8-12) — The annual Patsy Earley Scholarship winners have been announced. WILL SOTO and JON HOWARTH each received financial awards which will go toward furthering their educations. Both graduated from Grossmont High in 2011. The scholarships are given to Grossmont High baseball players “who embody the qualities my mom loved – strong work ethic, hard work, family values and selflessness,” said former Foothillers baseball coach JIM EARLEY. Funds are raised through donations and activities each year to support the scholarships, which were created in memory of Earley’s mother, who for many years ran the Foothillers’ concession stand, which has been named “Patsy’s Place.”

By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com
SANTEE (7-8-12) — CORDELL HIPOLITO is familiar with East County and Grossmont Conference baseball. That’s why he should be a perfect fit as head coach of the West Hills High baseball program.

Hipolito replaces JASON FOWLER, who resigned after three seasons with a composite 38-50 record. His club finished 18-15 in the rugged Grossmont Hills League last year.

“The move to West Hills made a lot of sense for me,” Hipolito said. “My son played for Coach Fowler and graduated in 2011. Through my son's experiences I have witnessed the tremendous growth of the program under Fowler. My daughter has been a member of the Wolf Pack softball program and will be going into her senior season. With both my kids having developed through Little League and ASA in Santee we have always been a part of this community.

A year ag,o Hipolito led University City to the Division V championship of the Lions Tournament, and the San Diego CIF semifinals before being eliminated by eventual champion Cathedral Catholic.

“We were ranked as high as No. 13 in the county, and as high as No. 4 in Division III (during the regular season),” Hipolito noted.

Other stops during Hipolito’s coaching career include San Diego Mesa College (1996-2002) and UCSD (2003-04). As an assistant coach, Hipolito helped lead the Tritons to the first CCAA conference tournament appearance in school history.

“I served as the hitting instructor and developed and implemented the offense that broke the program record for hits in a season,” Hipolito said.

UCSD was ranked as high as No. 13 in the country for NCAA Division II that year.

Hipolito moved over to Southwestern College (2005-09).

“We made an incredible run of four playoff appearances that included two super regionals and a state championship game in 2008,” Hipolito recalled of the Jaguars, who finished ranked No. 2 in California and No. 12 in the country for 2008.

In a return to UCSD (2010-2011), Hipolito helped the Tritons, the No. 1-ranked Division II team in the country, reached the NCAA national championship game in 2010. UCSD finished with a remarkable 51-9 record in 2010. UCSD was the CCAA champion in 2010 and 2011. The Tritons reached the regionals in 2011, two wins shy of a third consecutive college world series appearance.

“I have been a major contributor in every program I have been a part of,” Hipolito said. “It has not been a coincidence that each one of the programs has shown marked improvement during my tenure. I have left all the programs in better condition than when I got there.”

© East County Sports.com
STOCKTON (6-23-12) — The dominant year for high school baseball in the CIF San Diego Section was reflected in the California state players of the year, as announced Friday (June 22) by Cal-Hi Sports, a division of ESPNHS.

Heading the list is El Capitan High senior TROY CONYERS, the Medium Schools player of the year.

Conyers was the runner-up for the award and for Juniors Classic player of the year to Bishop Amat's Rio Ruiz in 2011. A blood clot ended the season early for Ruiz, but Conyers was already in the midst of an outstanding senior season.

Although Ty Moore of Santa Ana-Mater Dei and Luke Eubank of Newbury Park were the primary two finalists for Mr. Baseball, Conyers was not far behind. He was named the CIF San Diego Section Player of the Year for a second straight season after leading El Capitan to the Division III title game.

Conyers batted .394 with five homers and 26 RBIs. He also went 9-2 on the mound with a 1.02 ERA and whiffed 131 batters in 82 innings.

In his prep career, Conyers was a four-year pitching ace, broke a school record with 313 strikeouts and played on two Team USA summer squads that won gold medals in international competition.

The last medium schools’ player of the year from San Diego was Ryan Wilkins of Cathedral Catholic in 2009.

Meanwhile, Moore was tabbed Mr. Baseball in California for 2012 by Cal-Hi Sports, the leading authority for high school sports in the state.

In the Small Schools division, Santa Fe Christian pitcher Nolan Gannon was tabbed the state's best. The right-hander was the top San Diego County player selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft earlier in the month after leading the Eagles to the CIFSDS Division IV championship.

There have been only four State Small Schools Player of the Year picks from the San Diego Section since 1960, but all four are somewhat recent. The other three are Nick Noonan of Francis Parker (2007), BRIAN SCHROEDER of Christian (2003) and Ben Cordova from Marian Catholic (1998).

In the state by year in school, Vista 's Brett Seeburger was tabbed Junior or the Year, while catcher Alex Jackson of Rancho Bernardo was Sophomore of the Year.

Vickery joins his younger brother, retired Santana of Santee girls basketball coach WADE VICKERY, as the winningest siblings in California prep history. Wade had 610 victories in 26 years, giving the brothers 1,257 wins combined.

Wade’s name is already on the list of winningest girls basketball coaches in the Cal-Hi Sports state record book. Now the elder Vickery will get his name in the book on the list for most career wins in baseball. He joins San Diego Rancho Bernardo’s Sam Blalock, the 1989 State Coach of the Year, now retired San Diego Mission Bay ’s Dennis Pugh, the 1996 State Coach of the Year, and Dick Serrano, who retired from the old San Diego University. Vickery’s win total trails only Blalock.

Since 1933, the year Cal-Hi Sports chose to start naming a state coach of the year for baseball through research at the state library, Vickery is the ninth from the CIF San Diego Section. The last CIFSDS winner was ROB PHILLIPS of Grossmont League rival El Cajon Grossmont after the 2008 season.

During his career, the 60-year old Vickery has captured 12 league titles, four section titles, and four runner-ups. This group, which includes 6-foot-5, 229-pound four-year varsity left-handed pitcher and University of San Diego-bound TROY CONYERS, who won two of those titles before finishing second to San Diego Cathedral Catholic the last two seasons.

“Not only is he a great coach but he’s a great person,” said longtime San Diego area prep sports writer Steve Brand.

Best team?
“It could have been a tad better season but I have no complaints. These kids were winners. Just by accomplishment, they have to be my best four-year group. It’s hard to beat what this group has done,” said Vickery, who wanted to talk more about his players than being honored.

“Conyers (9-2 record, 131 strikeouts) was the winning pitcher in the CIF title game his freshman and sophomore years, and lost last year, but we had to use him against St. Augustine ( San Diego ) so he wasn’t available this year. We had complete confidence in SHANE COLEMAN (8-2 record) since he had beaten Cathedral Catholic and D1 ( San Diego ) Rancho Bernardo this season.”

Other players Vickery wanted to mention are senior pitcher KEVIN GINKEL, a two-year varsity player that went 9-0 last year and 8-2 this season; three-year starter and clutch-hitting senior centerfielder CURREN FACER, and junior three-year varsity catcher and third-baseman ERIC LOZANO.

Not just baseball
For his first five years as a coach, Vickery was at Valhalla. Prior to that and right out of college he assisted in baseball, football and basketball at Valhalla.

“Wade and I went to El Capitan so I was looking for an opportunity to come back, and I’ve never regretted the move,” said Vickery, who between Valhalla and El Capitan was also a football assistant coach for 20 years.

On being honored
“It’s an absolute great honor to be named coach of the year, but I didn’t go into coaching chasing honors or wins. I went into it because I have a passion for the game and the relationships made.”

The relationships
“They had a retirement party for me and a couple of my old players flew in. It really touched me that they made that kind of effort. When you’ve touched a lot of lives it makes you feel pretty good about what you’ve done for 33 years.

JIM MARCHESE, a 1989 grad that was drafted by St. Louis, flew in from Las Vegas. NATE PORTER, a 1995 alum who played in college and is now a preacher in Colorado, flew in with his father. Several players from Vickery’s early years at Valhalla also attended.

Best players ever
Only two of his players donned Major League uniforms, 2002 grad KYLE PHILLIPS, who was with the Padres last season, and his brother and 1995 alum JASON PHILLIPS, who played for the Mets and Dodgers.

“My best player ever was MATT LACHAPPA, a left-handed pitcher from 1993 that was drafted in the second round by the Padres. He had a heart attack in the bullpen in A ball. He’s alive, but he’s a quadriplegic and confined to a wheelchair. He was going places. What a tragedy.”

Family support
“I could never have done this without my wife Debbie (Vickery). We’ll be married 40 years on July 1st. She’s been a blessing and a great supporter. She knew I had a passion. What a trooper.”

Steve and Debbie have four grown children, including three sons he coached in football, and nine grandchildren.

Not totally retired
Vickery is leaving coaching but won’t fully retire until next year. The El Capitan athletic director and math and algebra teacher is actually taking on more, since he’ll be the math department chair in the fall.

“I didn’t want the shock of retiring all at once.”

When one of his granddaughters asked him what he would do in retirement, grandpa had the perfect answer.

“‘Maybe I’ll have time to coach girls softball’ I told her, and attend all the grandkids’ baseball and softball games.”

© East County Sports.com
BALBOA PARK (6-8-12) — For just the fifth time in CIF San Diego Section history, a baseball player – El Capitan High's TROY CONYERS – has repeated as the player of the year in media voting announced by the San Diego Hall of Champions.

Conyers, who led the Vaqueros to a fourth straight CIF championship game appearance (with a pair of titles), will play for the University of San Diego next spring. He joins Mike Correia (USDHS, 1980-81), Eric Chavez (Mt. Carmel, 1995-96), Adrian Gonzales (Eastlake, 1999-2000), and Matt Bush (Mission Bay 2003-04) as two-time winners of the prestigious award.

He is also this season's East County player of the year, taking honors after the left-hander posted a 9-2 record with two saves and a 1.02 to go with a .394 (39-for-99) batting average.

Despite such lofty credentials, Conyers and his family asked Major League Baseball teams not to select him in this week's First-Year Player Draft due to new salary and slotting cap regulations. Every area scout indicated that Conyers could easily be selected among the first 10 rounds, but because of deep commitment to attend the University of San Diego, did not want to burn any ballclub which might select him.

Conyers will again become draft-eligible in 2015.

East County's other first team pick was outfielder Trenton Brooks of Grainte Hills by the media panel for the San Diego Hall of Champions.

Indeed, for every kid that grows up playing baseball, the dream of one day playing in the big leagues is the ultimate goal. For four East County players, a similar emotion was shared after hearing their names called on Wednesday's (June 6) third day of the selection process. Included were El Capitan catcher CHARLES MOORMAN, Grossmont College reliever MICHAEL FLORES, former Christian High product CODY POTEET, and Granite Hills starting pitcher DANIEL STARWALT.

Moorman was the first local player to hear his named called, taken in the 17th round (No. 546 overall) by the Texas Rangers.

A four-year varsity player, Moorman helped the Vaqueros pitching staff to four straight CIF championship appearances, winning twice. As a senior, the catcher called the pitches for every game for one of the top pitching staffs in the entire CIF San Diego Section while batting .346 at the plate. He also added five home runs and 24 RBI to the Vaqueros' cause.

“Chuck is very excited about being picked and will probably sign,” noted retiring El Cap head coach STEVE VICKERY.

At 6-foot-9, 235 pounds, it came as no surprise that Flores, Moorman's teammate from his 2011 campaign, was tabbed by the Atlanta Braves in the 24th Round (No. 749 overall) after spending just one season as a relief pitcher in the Griffins bullpen.

Following his senior year at El Cap, Flores was a All-East County second team pick and an unanimous Grossmont Valley League first team selection, going 6-2 boasting a 1.90 ERA and had almost a 9-1 strikeout ratio posting 44 K's to just 5 walks.

Poteet was taken by the Washington Nationals with the 27th round with the 834th overall pick.

In his junior season with the Patriots, Poteet led all of East County batting with an absurd .509 batting average and also ranked number one in runs and hits capping it all by placing fourth in stolen bases with 20. But his obvious future is in his right pitching arm.

With a scholarship offer in hand to attend UCLA, Poteet took a huge risk by not playing with his fellow high school classmates, choosing to play in an alternate league. For a lot of scouts, that raised a big red flag and surely his status suffered come draft time. Not turning 18 until early July, he's tagged as a very young talent that is wise beyond his years on the mound, yet has excellent command of three pitches, thus most scouts project him as a starting pitcher in the majors.

Starwalt, the ace of the Granite Hills pitching staff, was taken by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 37th round with the 1,148th pick. The location was lower than originally expected after the 6-foot-3, 211-pound right-hander missed the majority of senior season with an L3 vertebrae stress fracture, yet he continued to make an impact on the mound while impressing scouts along the way.

As a junior, the lanky ace was named to the Under Armour All-American game at Wrigley Field, an event with only 35 other players in the nation taking part in. As a senior, he was an overwhelming obvious choice for All-East County first team after posting a 5-5 record with a 2.58 ERA, while tossing 5 complete games. He also batted .396 in only 91 at-bats, while playing solid defense at first base.

One of the reasons the pro scouts may have shied away from Starwalt is he has a baseball scholarship to Stanford and indicated he was leaning that way.

El Capitan High pitcher-slugger Troy Conyers (14) earned a second consecutive East County player of the year citation. The left-hander posted a 9-2 pitching record, with a 1.02 earned-run average, while also batting .394 this season for the Vaqueros. (File photo by Nathan Price, youatplay.com)

El Capitan senior Troy Conyers (File photo by Frank Price, youatplay.com)

By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (6-5-12) — The East County post-season awards bounty belonged to the El Capitan Vaqueros, who captured their third Grossmont Valley League championships with a composite 35-1 record.

El Capitan pitcher-first baseman TROY CONYERS was named East County Sports Player of the Year. The gifted left-hander posted a 9-2 record with two saves and a 1.02 to go with a .394 (39-for-99) batting average.

Other East County Sports award winners include Rookie of the Year Granite Hills’ JORDAN VERDON, most improved player Santana’s BRIAN ASHWILL, unsung hero Grossmont’s NICO MAIDA and coach of the year JASON BABINEAU of Mount Miguel.

2012 All-East County™ Team Selected by East County Sports.com staff

FIRST TEAM Pos.   Name, School Ht. Wt. Yr. LHP/1B RHP RHP LHP RHP/1B RHP/OF RHP/INF RHP/UTL RHP/UTL LHP C C INF INF OF OF OF UTL   Troy Conyers, El Capitan Kevin Ginkel, El Capitan Brandon Delaney, West Hills Shane Coleman, El Capitan Daniel Starwalt, Granite Hills Juwun McCray, Mount Miguel Sean Walker, Granite Hills Brian Ashwill, Santana Paul O’Connor, Monte Vista Trenton Brooks, Granite Hills Michael Randel, Steele Canyon Chuck Moorman, El Capitan Tanner Perry, Steele Canyon Javier Gonzalez, El Capitan Robert Bostedt, Granite Hills Kacy Smith, Helix Ray Peterson, Helix Ramsey Romano, Valhalla 6-5 229 12 6-3 187 12 6-2 170 12 6-2 210 12 6-3 211 12 6-2 160 12 6-2 170 11 6-2 190 12 6-0 180 11 5-11 160 11 6-0 195 12 5-11 205 12 5-7 160 10 5-11 182 12 5-10 155 10 5-10 180 12 5-9 155 11 6-1 170 11

Player of the Year Troy Conyers, El Capitan Rookie of the Year Jordan Verdon, Granite Hills Most Improved Player Brian Ashwill, Santana Unsung Hero Award Nico Maida, Grossmont Coach of the Year Jason Babineau, Mount Miguel

SECOND TEAM Pos.   Name, School Ht. Wt. Yr. LHP RGP/INF LHP/OF LHP LHP/INF C C 1B INF INF OF OF OF OF OF UTL UTL DH   Mark Young, Helix Romello Carbuccia, Helix Frank Califano, Steele Canyon Michael Kaufman, Christian Frankie Nunez, Helix Diego Reynoso, Helix A.J. Gregorovic, Christian Garrett Gandolfo, Steele Canyon Eric Lozano, El Capitan Abner Garcia, El Cajon Valley Austin Hensley, Valhalla Curren Facer, El Capitan Stewart Forrester, West Hills Josh Rose, Granite Hills Brett Stone, Grossmont Brad Moreno, Mount Miguel Trevor Tinney, Foothills Christian Jordan Verdon, Granite Hills 6-0 165 12 5-11 170 12 5-11 170 12 6-4 200 12 5-9 165 11 5-9 175 12 5-9 190 11 6-1 215 12 5-11 172 11 5-10 205 12 6-1 210 12 6-2 222 12 5-9 185 12 5-10 172 11 6-1 175 11 5-8 148 10 5-8 145 11 5-10 155 9